Kolkata: West Bengal reported its highest single-day COVID-19 deaths Tuesday with 25 patients succumbing to the disease. This took the total death toll in West Bengal to 807, the health department bulletin said. The bulletin said that 837 more people have tested positive for the disease, taking the COVID-19 tally in West Bengal to 23,837. For the third consecutive day, the state witnessed more than 800 new infections.
To control the spread of the disease, the West Bengal government Tuesday decided to expand the areas under lockdown. It said that it will impose tougher restrictions from July 9 to stem the relentless spike in COVID-19 cases.
The Containment Zones and Buffer Zones around them will be clubbed together and constitute a ‘broad-based’ containment zone where total lockdown will be imposed from 5.00pm Thursday. Local authorities will try and arrange home delivery of essential commodities for the residents of these areas, the official informed.
“These broader containment zones may be subjected to strict lockdown and all offices, government and private, all non-essential activities, congregations, transportations and all marketing, industrial and trading activities be closed,” an order issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Alapan Bandyopadhyay said.
It, however, did not mention how long the fresh spell of the shutdown will last. The current phase of lockdown, in force till July 31, was largely limited to containment zones alone.