West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Extends Lockdown Till July 31, Metro Train Services Remain Suspended

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended the lockdown in the state with relaxations from June 30 to July 31. Banerjee made the announcement for the extension at the end of the three hour all party meeting held on June 24. During this lockdown, train and metro services will not be functional. Schools and colleges will also remain closed during this period. West Bengal has recorded 14,728 coronavirus cases. The number of active cases in the state stands at 4,930 and the number of deaths recorded are 580. 9,218 people have recovered from the disease in the state. Another key decision on the COVID-19 crisis taken during the meeting was to improve services to non-coronavirus patients at hospitals. A cap on cost of treatment too was discussed at the meeting. The state health ministry also issued a stern warning to both private & government hospitals. TMC government warned of strict action disciplinary action if hospitals deny admission to patients. As per the notification, strict action will be taken under the West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Transparency) Act, 2017 & West Bengal Clinical Establishment Rules, 2017. The all-party meeting was held at the state secretariat Nabanna to review COVID-19 pandemic situation & the Centre’s Amphan relief fund disbursement across the state.