Covid Surge in Bengal: Authorities Create 24 Containment Zones in Baruipur

Kolkata: The recent surge in Covid 19 cases on the southern fringes of the city, particularly in Baruipur subdivision, has prompted the administration to create 24 micro-containment zones in the area, a senior official said on Wednesday.

According to the official, all markets under the Sonarpur-Rajpur municipality, Baruipur municipality and Joynagar II block in Baruipur subdivision will be shut for three days starting Thursday.

"We will not allow any crowding anywhere. Wearing mask has been made compulsory here. Market places will remain shut for the next three days. Areas under Narendrapur, Sonarpur, Baruipur and Bakultala police stations will be shut during these days.

"All these steps have been taken after a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. We are trying to combat the rise and break the chain of transmission of the virus effectively," a senior official of Baruipur sub-division said.

Only the shops selling medicine, milk, ration and electrical goods will be allowed to do business. "We will continue our vigil and make sure that the restrictions are not flouted," told PTI.

Officials will review the situation on Saturday and decide whether to continue with the restrictions.

There are currently 129 containment zones in West Bengal, with the maximum of 43 in North 24 Parganas district.

West Bengal has seen a spurt in COVID 19 cases after the Durga Puja celebrations.

The Centre has asked the West Bengal government to immediately undertake a review of COVID-19 cases and deaths, and stressed on the importance of ensuring Covid-safe festivities.

In a letter to the West Bengal health secretary dated October 22, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the state has reported 20,936 new cases and 343 fresh deaths in the last 30 days, accounting for 3.4% of the country's new cases and 4.7 % of fresh deaths.

Kolkata reported an almost 27% increase in positivity rate in the past week, from 5.6% in the week ending October 14 to 7.1% in the week ending October 21, Bhushan said.

West Bengal recorded over 800 new COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, after registering nearly 1000 infections for a couple of days, according to the health department data.

The state reported 806 new cases on Tuesday, one more than the previous day's figure, pushing the tally to 15,88,066, while 15 fresh fatalities took the death toll to 19,081.