Covid: Two more die in Siliguri -Officials report 19 new cases in Darjeeling district - BDO in South Dinajpur tests positive

SNS, 10 July 2020, SILIGURI: A resident of Deshbandhu Para in Siliguri died at the Desun (Covid) Hospital in Siliguri today.

The 60-year-old person was admitted in the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) on 8 July, from where he was shifted to Desun last night, sources said.

Family members alleged that two nursing homes refused to admit him earlier, citing a shortage of beds, and advised that he be taken to the Siliguri District Hospital for oxygen support. They alleged that the patient had to face problems getting services both at the hospital and the NBMCH too.

He was suffering from shortness of breath and cough.

'We had a bitter experience at the government facilities. At the hospital, we had to pay Rs 100 to a person as we were asked to carry my father in a wheelchair for ECG. He also misbehaved with us when we requested him to take him carefully. Later, the doctors referred him to the NBMCH," the daughter of the deceased said today. "The patient had to walk to the first floor to the respiratory intensive care unit (RICU) from the ground floor at the NBMCH.There was no stretcher to carry him. More than an hour was lost after 12 in the night," she added. Also, a Covid-19 patient and resident of Ward 19 died in a private nursing home yesterday.

Meanwhile, 19 new cases have been detected in Darjeeling district in the last 24 hours.Twelve of the 19 cases are from the Siliguri Municipal Corporation area, and five from Matigara. Two persons who had recently returned from the UAE (one from Darjeeling and one from Sukna) were also tested positive for the virus, oficials said.

BDO in South Dinajpur tests positive

As 11 new Covid cases, including the Block Development Officer of Gangarampur, surfaced in South Dinajpur, people rampantly violated the "strict lockdown" rules in "broader containment zones" in Balurghat today. Local people claimed there was no presence of the administration in trying to enforce the lockdown.

"Markets remained open well after 12 pm, while people moved about freely outside their homes.There were no barricades or special police on duty in the town today. The first day of the strict lock-down remained a farce in the town today," a local man said.

Though municipality staffers had announced on loudspeakers the new lock-down rules, people ignored them and came out in droves.

"The Tahabazaar area, which is a containment zone, was overcrowded this morning. There were no barricades or police personnel to control the crowd," another local said.

As per government orders, Wards 1, 4, 6, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19,21 in the Balurghat Municipality are containment zones.

As the new cases were reported in the district, there was none from Balurghat, sources said.

"We have implemented the order of the District Magistrate. As per the order, everything will remain normal till 12 noon. Tahabazaar falls in a containment zone, and as per the orders, it remained open for essential services," Balurghat SDO Biswaranjan Mukherjee said.

45, including students, infected in Malda

In Malda, the fresh 45 cases found last night included some school and college students, much to the worry of health officials here. Twenty-one of the new cases are in the English Bazaar Municipality, including some students, sources said.

Sources at the administration and the health department said they are trying to trace the source of the infection in these students, even though schools and colleges are closed. "Some tuition and computer training centres have been operational, which might be the source of the infection in the students, who are now under home quarantine," the sources said.

On the other hand, EBM, Old Malda Municipality and Kaliachak have been divided into 20 containment zones, where strict lockdown is being enforced. "The police are on the streets to stop gatherings, while other measures are also being taken," Malda SP Alok Rajoria said.

(Courtesy and source- The Statesman- https://epaper.thestatesman.com/2745168/Siliguri-The-Statesman/11-TH-JULY-2020#page/2/2)