With corona positive rates rising to an alarming level in Bengal and particularly Kolkata, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday asked the Ganga Sagar bound pilgrims to exercise “utmost caution” and “cooperate with the Government in following corona protocols”.
Despite repeated appeal from the medical fraternity and the Opposition parties, the Bengal Government has decided against banning Ganga Sagar Mela this year.
The Chief Minister’s appeal to the people came on a day when Health Ministry reports said that Kolkata had recorded more than 60 percent positivity rate in the past one week where as the figure for the State had gone up to an alarming 32 percent mark.
“We want to receive you all but the way Omicron has been infected people is a cause of great concern … we have no other way but to impose strict norms as per the Calcutta High Court order,” the Chief Minister said appealing to the pilgrims.
She said no person without double dose vaccinations would be allowed to proceed to Ganga Sagar Islands. The State Government had arranged for vaccinating people with the second dose right at the starting point at Babu Ghat in Kolkata, she informed.
“One sample of high positivity rate will suffice,” said a senior official of the Indian Railways adding “about 4,000 employees of the Eastern Railways have tested positive.” The “only silver lining” was however that total daily rate had slightly dipped in Kolkata which was little more than 6,000 infections on Tuesday as compared to about 8,000 a day or two before, said Dr Diptendra Sarkar of the State-owned SSKM Hospital.
Following the surge in daily cases, Bengal’s tally of active casesstood at 1,02,236. The State also recorded 19 deaths in the past 24hours. Currently, its caseload and toll stand at 17,95,430 and 19,936 respectively. “It seems that the infections are gradually shifting towards the rural and semi-urban areas and districts which has to be taken care of by the Government,” Dr Sarkar said.
Meanwhile, in a determined show of intent the Diamond Harbour administration on Wednesday vaccinated more than 50,000 people in ten hours, officials said. Diamond Harbour parliamentary constituency is represented by Trinamool Congress national general secretary and the Chief Minister’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
The TMC MP had earlier directed the administration to show an ‘intentof purpose’ by vaccinating at least 30,000 people, officials said.