Bengal to go under complete lockdown from May 16 to 30 : Essentials exempt, public transport suspended

Only essential services allowed, vehicular movement to be stopped from Sunday

Markets and grocery shops which were earlier allowed to open twice a day for two hours will now be open only for three hours from 7am to 10am. Sweet shops will remain open from 10am to 5pm.: File picture

Arnab Ganguly   |  TT  |   Calcutta   | 15.05.21: Bengal will go under complete lockdown from Sunday till May 30, with only essential services allowed to remain open, amid a surge in Covid cases across the state.  

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s brother Aseem succumbed to Covid on Saturday, after a month’s battle with the disease.

On Friday, the number of fresh cases in the state had crossed the 20,000 mark with the highest number of cases in neighbouring North 24-Parganas followed by Calcutta, prompting the government to go for stricter curbs, though Mamata was opposed to such stern measures considering the economic impact on the livelihood and lives of the people.

Adding to the list of establishments, mostly private, that were closed earlier the shutdown now includes state government offices and private offices, with the exemption being granted to production and supply of medicines, medical oxygen and medical equipment.  Tea gardens can function with 50 per cent staff and jute mills with 30 per cent, though there is no restriction on e-commerce activities and home delivery services.

Vehicular movement including private and government buses will be completely stopped along with Metro while taxis, app-based cabs and auto-rickshaws would be severely restricted. Private vehicles would be allowed only in case of medical emergency. Trucks, except for those carrying food items, would not be allowed to ply for the next two weeks.

Markets and grocery shops which were earlier allowed to open twice a day for two hours will now be open only for three hours from 7am to 10am. Sweet shops will remain open from 10am to 5pm.

Schools, colleges and educational institutions will remain closed. Shopping complexes, malls, spas, cinemas and other places of public gathering will remain shut.

The government has also announced a curb on all outdoor movements between 9 pm to 5am. Last year during the lockdown, several people had stepped out during the night, which will not be allowed this time. Violation of any of the restrictions will be punishable under the disaster management laws.  

Bengal has joined several other states and UTs which have imposed lockdowns to curb the spread of Covid-19. Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Punjab, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand and Sikkim are among some of the other states that have gone under a complete shutdown.