Kolkata, July 28: Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state, the West Bengal government decided to extend its "two days per week" lockdown strategy till the end of August. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the restrictions are necessitated to control the pace of transmission. 25,000 Samples to be Tested Every Day From August 15, Says CM.

The dates of shutdown were declared by the CM during her press briefing today. "Complete lockdown will be observed in the state on 2nd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 24th and 31st August," she said.

No shutdown will be in effect on August 1, when Muslims in the state would be observing Eid al-Adha, Banerjee said. The relaxations are aimed at allowing the community to observe the festival. They would, however, need to adhere to the COVID-19 safety norms which includes wearing of face masks and maintaining social distance.

"Lockdown in the state extended till 31st August," Banerjee told reporters "No lockdown in the state on August 1st on the occasion of Bakra Eid," she was further quoted as saying.

Update by ANI

The two-day per week lockdown strategy was implemented in Bengal in mid-July, in bid to break the chain of infection. The lockdown, as per the plan, is imposed on two non-consecutive days of the week.

The tally of COVID-19 infections crossed 60,000 in Bengal as per the last update issued by the State Health Department. A spike of 2,112 cases was recorded on Monday, taking the number of total active cases to 19,502. The cumulative death toll in the state stood at 1,411, with Kolkata accounting for 696 of the overall fatalities.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 28, 2020 04:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).