West Bengal imposes strict Covid restrictions, had relaxed it in Christmas

On Sunday, January 2, 2020, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress authorities in West Bengal introduced the newest Covid-19 curbs within the state. The lengthy checklist of restrictions consists of:
All colleges, schools, universities, spas, salons, magnificence parlours, swimming swimming pools, zoos, and leisure parks will stay closed in West Bengal from Monday, January 3, 2022.All authorities and personal places of work will function at 50 per cent capability; all administrative conferences will henceforth ve carried out through digital mode.Local trains in West Bengal will run with 50 per cent capability until 7 within the night. No native trains can be allowed on tracks post- 7 pm. All long-distance trains, nevertheless, will proceed operating as they’re.All vacationer locations in West Bengal shall stay closed from January 3, Monday.Flights to Kolkata from Delhi and Mumbai will solely be allowed on two days of the week – Monday and Friday.All spiritual, cultural, and social gatherings within the state must make sure that they solely permit 50 folks on the most.Shopping malls and market complexes could operate with a restricted entry of individuals by not exceeding 50 per cent of the capability at a time and as much as 10 pm.Restaurants and bars could function with 50 per cent of the capability at a time and as much as 10 pm. The similar restrictions and timings maintain true for cinema halls and theatres.Meetings and conferences shall be allowed with a most of 200 folks at a time or 50 per cent seating capability of the corridor, whichever is decrease.No greater than 50 individuals shall be allowed for marriage-related ceremonies.No greater than 20 individuals shall be allowed for funeral/burial providers and final ritesKolkata Metro providers shall function with 50 per cent seating capability as per typical operational time.The motion of individuals and autos and public gatherings of any type shall be prohibited between 10 pm to five am. Only important and emergency providers shall be permitted.Moreover, following within the footsteps of states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, Mamata Banerjee has additionally imposed a ten pm to five am evening curfew, bringing the state right into a semi-lockdown state of affairs owing to the sudden spike within the Covid circumstances within the state within the final festive week.
The West Bengal CM has out of the blue risen to the worrisome situation that the state has discovered itself in, put up the Christmas and information 12 months celebration week. Though we’d prefer to assume the Chief Minister of West Bengal sincerely needs to help her folks in overcoming this looming risk, she could have closed the secure door after the horse bolted.
Kolkata’s Christmas frenzy amid Covid scare
West Bengal’s capital metropolis, Kolkata seems to be reverting to the situation the place virtually everybody had a member of the family, pal, or acquaintance contaminated with COVID-19 as soon as once more – and fairly out of the blue. And, many see the Christmas celebrations on Park Street as having contributed to the sudden spurt of Covid infections within the metropolis.
While many different states had imposed further restrictions for Christmas and New Year celebrations in India amid the Omicron scare, West Bengal CM had relaxed the evening curfew (11 pm – 5 am) from December 24, 2021, to January 1, 2022, in view of Christmas and New Year celebrations. Thousands of individuals in Kolkata had been seen crowding public locations to have fun Christmas on December 25, Saturday with few sporting masks and even fewer displaying any warning.
Social media had been rife with movies and pictures from Kolkata’s iconic Park Street the place giant crowds had been seen surging previous the road.
Is worldwide media blaming Kolkata’s Park Street Christmas celebration for six,153 new Covid circumstances reported in West Bengal? pic.twitter.com/b3Gn35IZ6R— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) January 3, 2022
Thousands of People welcomed Omicron Corona third Wave by gathering at Park Street, Kolkata to have fun Christmas #kolkata #Omicron #COVIDIOTS pic.twitter.com/nGrl4mj4CC— Rosy (@rose_k01) December 25, 2021
Thousands of individuals travelled to a number of vacationer spots within the metropolis and elsewhere on Christmas Day, along with Park Street. Since the morning, giant teams have been seen with out masks on the metropolis’s favorite areas comparable to Alipore Zoo, Eco Park, Victoria Memorial, Millennium Park, and Indian Museum.
Remarking on the troublesome situation the state has pushed itself in, Dr Punyabrata Gun of WBDF opined that the “people not maintaining COVID-appropriate behaviour and the government not implementing restrictions have resulted in the spike.”
Covid circumstances in West Bengal see a ten occasions spike throughout Christmas week
According to the information obtainable, town reported 204 new Covid-19 circumstances on Monday, December 27 however the variety of such circumstances shot as much as 1954 on Friday, December 31, nearly 10 occasions in 5 days.
Meanwhile, within the final 24-hours, as many as 6,153 extra folks examined optimistic for Covid-19 throughout West Bengal and of the entire Kolkata alone accounted for 3,194 circumstances.
Mismanagement of the Covid pandemic in West Bengal
The state of affairs during which West Bengal is in in the meanwhile is a real reason for concern however the folks right here usually are not utterly oblivious to it. When the second wave of Covid-19 surged in India, a number of states had imposed a strict lockdown, or put restrictions towards gatherings to curb the rising variety of circumstances. However, because the pageant of Eid had approached, covid acceptable norms went for a toss in a number of cities as folks thronged markets for pageant purchasing, and West Bengal was additionally one of many prime contenders.
Besides, one shouldn’t neglect, how, through the first wave of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, the Mamata Banerjee authorities had been closely criticised for grossly mismanaging the disaster. In reality, in May 2020, one Kabir Shankar Bose had filed a petition within the Calcutta High Court expressing grievances concerning the alleged mismanagement of the Wuhan Coronavirus disaster by the West Bengal authorities.
From under-reporting of the particular variety of Wuhan Coronavirus circumstances within the state to discreetly disposing of our bodies of coronavirus victims throughout Bengal to not sending sufficient samples for COVID19 testing, the Mamata Banerjee-led authorities had been accused of overlaying up the extent of the unfold of the Wuhan Coronavirus within the state by numerous quarters.
In this occasion, nearly each state, together with Delhi, had imposed strict restrictions on Christmas and New Year celebrations. Mamata Banerjee, nevertheless, refused to impose restrictions and let crowds collect unhindered. Now, when the crowding has already been executed and the danger of Omicron an infection is on the rise, Banerjee has imposed restrictions to persuade people who she is taking the COVID risk significantly and is making an attempt to offer the folks of Bengal a touch of governance. It will surely seem as if Mamata Banerjee is attempting to shut the door of the secure whereas the horse has already bolted on condition that the big gatherings would have already put a number of thousand folks in danger for Omicron an infection.