Kolkata, March 23:West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealing him to stop all flights from landing in West Bengal with immediate effect amid the coronavirus outbreak.  The number of cases in West Bengal reached seven on Sunday. According to a News18 report, calling the operations of flight as a “huge breach of shut down and quarantine protocol”, she said there are no arrangements for social distancing on these flights.

The CM's letter to PM read- "I, would, therefore, request you to kindly arrange to issue necessary instructions to stop all flights coming to West Bengal with immediate effect so that the source of spreading infection is effectively contained and lockdown in the state is implemented in true letter and spirit." DGCA Shares Social Distancing Guidelines For Airports And Airlines Amid Coronavirus Outbreak; Read Full Circular Issued by Regulatory Body.

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On Friday, Mamata Banerjee on Friday had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop all international flights to the state. The state will go in a lockdown barring essential services till March 27 in an attempt to fight the deadly disease.  Earlier in the day, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued guidelines on social distancing to airlines and airport operators.

Some of the points mentioned in the guidelines include that the seat allocation at the time of check-in will have to be done in a manner to ensure that the seat between two passengers is kept empty. In addition to this, the regulatory body requested flyers to keep a distance of minimum one metre at check-in counters, waiting areas and during security checks.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 23, 2020 02:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).