Covid-19 curbs: West Bengal shuts schools, colleges; offices allowed with 50 per cent workforce

The West Bengal government brought back stricter Covidrelated restrictions amid a steep rise in cases shutting all educational institutions from January 3 and allowing offices to operate with 50 per cent workforceAt a press conference Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi announced that only essential services will be permitted between 10 pm and 5 am in the state Local trains would be allowed to operate with 50 per cent capacity till 7 pm while all shopping malls and markets would be allowed to remain open till 10 pm but with half their capacities he said Longdistance trains will operate as per their usual scheduleMetro trains in Kolkata will also operate as per their usual timing but with 50 per cent capacity All tourist attractions including the zoos would remain closed Besides swimming pools parlours spa wellness centres and gyms were also told to shut down he added Cinema halls and theatres have been allowed to operate with 50 per cent capacity Meetings and conferences have been allowed with a maximum of 200 people at a time or 50 per cent capacity of the hall whichever is lowerBars and restaurants were allowed to remain open with 50 per cent capacity till 10 pm while home delivery of food and other essential products was permitted as per usual operational hours Not more than 50 persons shall be allowed in weddings and only 20 persons will be allowed during funeral and burial services the chief secretary saidThe state government asked the management of industries factories mills tea gardens and other commercial establishments to ensure strict compliance with the guidelinesFlights from Delhi Mumbai to be restrictedThe West Bengal government said that it would restrict flights from New Delhi and Mumbai the two cities witnessing the largest surge in Covid19 infections in recent weeks to just twice a week in a measure to combat the spread of the pandemic in the stateTravel agents believe this will cause a spike in air fares besides placing many fliers travel plans in jeopardy West Bengal chief secretary HK Dwivedi said that starting January 5 flights from these two metros will be allowed only on Mondays and Fridays till a decision is taken after reviewing the pandemic situation The top state bureaucrat also said that from Monday the government has decided to temporarily suspend direct flights from the UK where Omicron variant of the coronavirus is creating new records infecting thousands as a part of its restriction programmesFlights from New Delhi and Mumbai will ply only twice a week As a part of the restrictions flights from these two places will be allowed to come to Bengal only on Mondays and Fridays Dwivedi said while holding a virtual press conference on Sunday Dwivedi said that rapid antigen tests have been made mandatory for passengers coming from nonat risk countries We have temporarily suspended flights from the UK And for passengers coming from other nonrisk countries we have made rapid antigen tests mandatoryIf found positive then the concerned person will have to undergo RTPCR tests This will come into force from tomorrow he said The Bengal government had on Thursday sent a letter to the union aviation ministry regarding its decision on temporarily suspending direct flights from the UK Calcutta has only one once a week flight connection with the UK which is operated by Air India Travel agents said the sudden decision would mean a spike in ticket prices Krishna Ghosh director of a Delhibased travel firm GlobeAir said prices on the DelhiCalcutta route average about Rs 6000 one way now this is sure to escalate to over Rs 10000 one wayEastern India Chairman of Travel Agents of India TAFI Anil Punjabi said the government should bring in testing of all domestic sector passengers on arrival Airport officials who did not wish to be named said the governments decision would only add to the woes of the passengers planning to fly to the state from these two metropolises It will be a problem for all those passengers who already have their tickets to come to Bengal from New Delhi and Mumbai Either they have to take another route to come here or reschedule their itinerary the official told PTITravel agents said many of those coming to Kolkata from abroad anyway routed their flight schedules through other cities and added domestic fliers too would follow suit The Chief Secretary however said that there is no ban on passengers from the UK to enter the state through other corridors using other means of travelling They can take other routes domestic flights or trains to come to Bengal he saidWest Bengal on January 1 reported 4512 fresh Covid19 cases 1061 more than the previous day with Kolkata accounting for 2398 new cases as per the state health departmentAlso Read 138 Omicron cases at Delhis LNJP Hospital in one month 95 pc recoveredThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text 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