COVID-19 pandemic in West Bengal

The West Bengal state government has identified 7 hotspots as of 7 April 2020. The names of hotspots are not officially disclosed. There are rumours that Kolkata, Howrah, Belgharia, Haldia, Egra, Tehatta and Kalimpong are the 7 hotspots.People living here have been asked to stay inside.[23][24]

14 March: Government on Saturday announced that all schools, colleges and universities in the state will remain closed till 31 March, in the view of evolving situation on the spread of COVID-19.[25]

17 March: State government stepped up its defence with chief minister Mamata Banerjee announcing the closure of educational institutions till 15 April. She said that even ICDS would be closed till 15 April and two kilograms of rice and potatoes would be sent to the children directly so that the meals can be cooked at home.[26]

21 March: The government has mandated a partial work-from-home system for 7.9 crore people who get subsidized rations. The CM promised that government will give free ration to the poor till September.[27]

23 March: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announced Monday that the state government is creating a Rs 200 crore fund to deal with the impact of COVID-19.[28]

24 March: Entire West Bengal was brought under lock down till 31 March.[29]

25 March: West Bengal Government converts Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata, for isolation of people suspected with Coronavirus.[30]

30 March: West Bengal government issues order to authorities of every districts to set up temporary arrangements of shelter and food to migrants and poor.[22]

Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee and her government was widely criticised of the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and was accused of concealing facts by the opposition and critics.[31][32] The opposition accused Mamata of playing “appeasement politics” amid the COVID-19 crisis. On 1 April, Banerjee claimed that the West Bengal Government have already traced 54 people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat religious gathering during the COVID-19 Outbreak, and 44 of them are foreigners. Although according to a report by central security agencies, 232 people had attended the Delhi's Tablighi Jamaat event from West Bengal. Of this, 123 are Indian nationals and 109 are foreigners.[32][33] Sooner she clarified that her government has acted swiftly after the Nizamuddin area was declared as a hotspot where nearly 2,300 people were staying despite the lockdown. She further added that the government has quarantined 177 people, including 108 foreigners, who attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at the Nizamuddin Markaz.[34][35][36]

The West Bengal Government has been also criticised for not sending enough samples to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases(NICED) for testing.[37][38] West Bengal test numbers saw some rise after talks between government and NICED. According to them, this will be scaled up further in coming days.[39]

The West Bengal Government has also been recommended to ensure transparency, genuine and verifiable data of COVID-19 by the West Bengal Doctors Forum (WBDF), as doctors cannot afford to send wrong signals to the world.[40] The doctors also hit out at the idea of the bureaucratic system to identify the death of COVID-19 patients. Their spokesperson claimed that every doctor is qualified enough and does not need a committee for such certification.[41] On April 25, 2020, The WB Govt admitted that 57 COVID-19 patients died but also said that 39 from comorbidities, after Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) seeks report. The IMCT also pointed out flaws of the Govt in their letter to the Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, in which the letter read:

There were a large number of patients in the isolation wards of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) as well as MR Bangur hospitals awaiting COVID test results for five days or longer. Specifically at CNCI, there were four patients awaiting test result since April 16, 2020, two patients awaiting test result since April 17, 2020, and three since April 18, 2020. Some of the patients have tested negative. It is not clear why the test results should take such a long time and there is a danger of COVID-19 negative patient acquiring the infection in the hospital while awaiting test result[42]

Red, Orange and Green Zones in West Bengal

Kolkata's COVID-19 containment zones[45]

The centre has identified 170 COVID-19 hotspot districts in 25 states across India. The states have been asked to classify hotspot areas as red zones and focus on converting the red zones to orange and then green zones.

The West Bengal government on Monday released a list, saying four districts, including Kolkata, have been declared as red zones in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, and 348 areas as containment zones,[46] out of which Kolkata has 227. There are some districts in Orange & Green zones. The lockdown process will be strict in those Red Zone Containment areas. Some relaxation will be given to Orange zones and Most relaxation will be given to Green Zones.

The West Bengal government has been sharing regular updates of the lists of containment zones from 4 May 2020.[47]

[48] [49] [43]

• COVID-19 pandemic in India
• Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in India
• COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic by country and territory
• Misinformation related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic
• COVID-19 lockdown in India