West Bengal Extends Lockdown Till May 31 Amid Rising Coronavirus Cases

Kolkata, May 18: The West Bengal government on Monday officially extended coronavirus lockdown till May 31. The announcement came a day after the Centre extended the shutdown for two more weeks. On Sunday, the state government had decided to continue the ongoing status quo. It had said that the central government order on extending the lockdown till May 31 would be followed strictly and no violations of the order would be tolerated. Lockdown Extended Till May 31, Announces NDMA; Guidelines Likely  Shared by Cabinet Secy in Video-Call With State Chief Secretaries.

The National Disaster Management Authority of India (NDMA) on Sunday had written a letter to all central ministers, departments and state governments informing the extension of lockdown till May 31. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also issued nine-page guidelines listing the dos and don'ts during the lockdown 4.0 that has been clamped in the country to cut the chain of coronavirus infection. The guidelines on "lockdown 4" was also shared by Union cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba in his video-call with State Chief Secretaries. Centre's Order on Extending Lockdown Till May 31 Will Be Followed Strictly: WB Govt.

West Bengal Government's Statement:

In West Bengal, the number of COVID-19 cases rose to 2,677 on Monday. The death toll in the state also increased to 238 in the state. Over 950 patients have also recovered from the disease in West Bengal. Meanwhile, India on Monday witnessed the sharpest single-day spike of 5,242 Coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. Over 96,000 people have contracted COVID-19 in India. The death toll also crossed 3,000-mark in the country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2020 04:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).