Kolkata: In a move towards inspiring people in their fight against corona the Bengal Government has come out with a novel idea of launching a “Covid Warriors’ Club” with 60 members to begin with, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday.

“We have come out with a novel idea that would perhaps be evaluated and followed by the rest of the world tomorrow to inspire the corona warriors,” the Chief Minister said adding “we have created a Covid Warriors Club with ex-corona patients who have fought and won their battles.

“Initially there are sixty people in this club and we invite many more to join this. There jobs will be to provide support and serve thepatients who are currently ill but helping them speak to their family members, by serving them food and other requisites and by giving them courage. “They will be given some wages for this too,” Banerjee said adding “the first such club has come up in Behrampore in Murshidabad district and gradually more clubs will come up in other parts of the State including Capital Kolkata.”

Banerjee also declared July 1 otherwise celebrated as Doctors’ Day as a State holiday urging the other States to follow suit. “We are doing this to commemorate and extend our gratitude for the corona fighters like the doctors, para-medical staff and frontline workers,” she said adding “I hope the Centre too would take this idea to declare July 1 as a holiday.”

Meanwhile the Kolkata Metro Railways have said that it would not be able to run its services without a green signal from the Ministry of Railways saying there was no adequate staff to ensure social distancing. CPRO, Kolkata Metro Railways Indrani Mukherjee said that the services cannot be resumed before August 12 given the current circumstances.

The Chief Minister had earlier requested the Metro Railways to resume metro services to release pressure from the limited number of buses plying on the roads.