West Bengal announces COVID curb relaxations, night curfew timings changed

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced relaxations in the state’s COVID restrictions. A state cabinet was meeting was held, and proposals forwarded to the CM.

Banerjee said night curfew would be in force from 11 PM to 5 AM instead of the 10 PM to 5 AM rule. Further, bars, restaurants, and cinema halls would be allowed to operate at 75% capacity. The same goes for sports arenas. Parks and tourist spots will also reopen but follow COVID safety protocols. 

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Earlier, the state government announced that schools for classes 8 to 12 would open on February 3, along with colleges and universities. She said that a decision would be taken later about opening primary schools. While schools reopen, it is advisable for those aged 15-18 to have taken their first dose, and all elderlies at home to have taken both doses. 

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Most of the other states are notably reopening schools and colleges on February 1. In West Bengal, educational institutions have remained closed since March 2020, at the onset of the pandemic. There were talks of reopening in November, but then it was pushed back. 

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West Bengal’s decision comes in light of the declining number of COVID cases in Bengal. The Chief Minister added that private offices could increase their workforce from 50% to 75%. A few alterations were made to the travel restrictions too. 

Flights from Mumbai and Delhi, arriving at Kolkata, will be allowed to operate daily. Flights from the UK to Kolkata will also resume as before, but there’ll be RT-PCR tests for those arriving.  

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Currently, West Bengal has 31,562 active coronavirus cases, as per the state’s COVID-19 bulletin. The recovery rate is currently at 97.38%, while the fatality rate stands at 1.03%. At present, at least 6.89 crore individuals have been vaccinated in West Bengal with the first dose. Also, 5.02 crore have received both the COVID vaccine doses.