Kolkata, April 29: West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee on Wednesday denied rumours about lack of beds in hospitals of Kolkata to admit coronavirus patients. Mamata Banerjee said that there are still 790 beds ready for treating COVID-19 patients in Kolkata. People on social media are alleging that there are lack of medical facilities in West Bengal to fight coronavirus. Coronavirus in West Bengal: CM Mamata Banerjee Visits Several Areas in Kolkata, Tells People to Stay Indoors to Fight COVID-19.

Such rumours surfaced on social media a day after Banerjee announced in a press conference that coronavirus positive patients could be quarantined at home. She further added that the move would reduce pressure on government facilities as it also has limitations.

Mamata Banerjee's Statement:

However, hours after Banerjee’s statement, the West Bengal government on Monday issued a clarification regarding the COVID-19 positive patients to be mandatorily brought to hospitals. It further stated that only the primary and secondary contacts of COVID positive cases and who have reasonable living spaces in their homes might be put under home quarantine instead of institutional quarantine. Mamata Banerjee Asks Centre to Provide Reasons for Deployment of IMCTs.

In West Bengal, 725 people have been tested positive for COVID-19. The death toll also climbed to 22 in the state. Out of the total infected patients, only 119 have recovered from the deadly virus so far. Meanwhile, in India, the number of coronavirus patients reached 31,332. The deadly virus also claimed 1,007 lives in the country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 29, 2020 05:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).