Coronavirus: West Bengal to club containment, buffer zones; enforce tougher lockdown from July 9

Kolkata, July 07: The West Bengal state government will enforce a total lockdown in containment zones of the state from 5 pm on July 9 to stem COVID-19 spread. The order was issued in the wake of the rapidly rising COVID-19 cases across the state.

The Mamata Banerjee-led state government to club containment and buffer zones to enforce tougher lockdown. Parts of Kolkata, worst-hit by the virus, will shut down.

The state will prohibit functioning of all offices, all non-essential activities, congregations, all forms of transport and all marketing/trading/industrial activities within these newly-defined containment zones.

As per new rules, all offices will be shut and transport banned in containment zones across the state from 5 pm.

The government said that non-essential activities will not be allowed in containment zones, while shopping malls and industries will also be shut.

On Tuesday, COVID-19 death toll in the state rose to 779 with 22 more fatalities; 861 new cases reported.

Earlier in the day, the state government said it was planning to reimpose strict lockdown in pockets of Kolkata.