Kolkata, May 18: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued guidelines for the fourth phase of lockdown that will continue till the month-end. The curfew from 7 pm in the night till 7 am in the morning - as directed by the Union Home Ministry in its notification for "lockdown 4" - will not be implemented in the state, Banerjee said. India Records Highest Single-Day Spike of 5,242 COVID-19 Cases in Past 24 Hours.

"The Centre has asked us to impose curfew from 7 pm to 7 am. But we will anyway be in lockdown so I don’t want to impose the 'curfew' word on people. I urge everyone to follow norms. We will not implement any curfew. Lockdown will continue," the West Bengal CM told reporters on Monday.

Banerjee also announced a spree of relaxations, including the re-opening of private offices. The attendance in all establishments have been capped at 50 percent. Salons for haircuts and beauty parlours are also granted the permit to resume operations.

"Private offices,even those inside shopping malls, can work with up to 50% staff. Inter-district buses will be allowed from May 21. Auto-rickshaws can operate from May 27 with 2 people. Beauty parlours and salons can open but all equipment must be sanitised," she said.

The state would, however, continue the closure of schools, colleges and all other educational institutions. Places of worship including churches, mosques and temples would also remain shut. No relaxations were announced for the occasion of Eid -- when Muslims hold congregational prayers under normal circumstances.

West Bengal has so far reported 2,677 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The numbers include 959 discharged patients and 238 deaths. The mortality rate - at less than 10 percent - is higher than most other Indian states.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2020 07:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).