Bengal extends lockdown: restrictions, how long it lasts and how long it will extend
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the extension of lockdown for a further month.
Following an all-party meeting recently held by Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna in Kolkata to discuss the latest developments of Covid-19 in the state, the government announced extending the lockdown and restricting measures in the state until 31 July. They had been planned to end on 30 June.
The government stated earlier that they had extended the suspension of educational activities in all institutions including state-run and state-aided schools as well as colleges and universities.
Other important health-related resolutions
Another significant decision made by the government during the same meeting was improving the medical services provided to non-Covid-19 patients who suffer from different diseases.
All parties participating in the meeting agreed that patients who were suffering from a different illness than coronavirus were not getting the best treatment in hospitals. Furthermore, an important decision was set to be made involving capping the treatment cost in private hospitals to help prevent the exploitation of the pandemic situation by some hospitals.
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Banerjee's take on that was: "This is not a time to do business. There is a pandemic and hospitals must work in the spirit of service."
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Other states like Delhi and Maharashtra have recently taken a similar decision by setting a limit to the cost of Covid-19 treatment in their private hospitals.
Covid-19 numbers in Bengal
West Bengal has recorded 15,173 Covid-19 confirmed cases so far, 9702 patients have recovered, while the state witnessed 591 deaths.