Lockdown to continue with a human face, says Mamata

Markets to remain open; 6 more cases in the past 24 hours takes total to 95

12/04/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, ,KOLKATA

Mamata Banerjee   Swapan Mahapatra

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday emphasised that the lockdown in the State would continue with a “human face” and that markets would continue to remain open.

“The lock down will continue with a human face, markets will be open and shops selling essentials will remain open,” Ms. Banerjee told journalists at the State secretariat. The Chief Minister repeatedly assured that while the police would be “strict” in enforcing the lockdown, the force “will not indulge in excesses”. She said that people in small groups would be allowed to harvest paddy, adding that the State would soon be introducing a mobile app to help farmers sell their produce.

Asked about a letter from the Union Home ministry, which had reportedly raised questions about lockdown exemptions in the State, Ms. Banerjee consulted with Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha seated beside her before asserting that the ministry had only asked the State to remain more vigilant in certain areas. The ministry is reported to have flagged several concerns in its letter, contending that the police were allowing religious congregations and that there was no regulation in vegetable, fish and mutton markets where people had been thronging in complete violation of social distancing norms in Razabazar, Narkel Danga, Topsia, Metiabruz, Garden Reach, Ikbalpur and Maniktala. The Home ministry is also said to have asserted that areas such as Narkel Danga were witnessing ‘more COVID-19 like’ cases.

Observing that the novel coronavirus “is not a communal virus”, Ms. Banerjee added. “It is a human disease”. The Chief Minister said she had raised the issue during the videoconference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day that this “was not the time to indulge in politics”.

Ms. Banerjee also reacted sharply to repeated questions about the hotspots in the State and countered: “Why are you interested in hotspots. There is nothing called hotspots. We are closely keeping a watch on areas where we have got patients”. She said that a better term to use in the situation was “ sensitive areas”, where the State was engaged in “microplanning” its response.

‘No reason to panic’

Six more cases of COVID-19 were detected in the State in the past 24 hours, taking the number of active cases to 95. The CM said that there was no reason to panic as the numbers would increase. The State has tested 2,286 persons for COVID -19 infection. Asked if the number of tests was low, she said that the State had been following ICMR guidelines and testing only those with symptoms. “We had only two labs and 40 testing kits,” she said. Ms. Banerjee said the State had asked the Centre for rapid testing kits and more tests would be conducted in the next few days.