West Bengal govt considering special measures for Kolkata after spike in Covid-19 cases – India Today

West Bengal on Thursday recorded its biggest single-day spike with 58 new confirmed Covid-19 cases coming to light from across the state, a majority of them from Kolkata. At 953, the state also conducted its highest number of tests in a single day on April 23.

Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said that the total active Covid-19 cases in the state are now 334. The death toll remains static at 15 with no fresh deaths reported across the state in recent days.

With 80 per cent of the new cases being reported from Kolkata and adjoining areas, the city continues to emerge as an epicentre of the outbreak in West Bengal, says the state government.

“In North 24 Parganas and Howrah, we have managed to contain the situation majorly but Kolkata remains a challenge. We are taking all possible measures so that there is no further spread. We are contemplating special measures for Kolkata,” West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha told media outlets on Thursday. Sinha added that Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) alone has about 150 containment zones. Howrah has 60-70 such zones while North 24 Parganas has 40 areas that have been classified as hotspots or containment zones.

West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha said, “There is a major concern around asymptomatic patients. It is difficult to identify them. Across the country, more than 70 per cent cases are asymptomatic. If the lockdown is withdrawn on May 4, then it will be a big challenge. With symptomatic patients, we are tracking them through mobile app, frontline healthcare workers and surveillance. It is difficult to track who is getting infected by whom.”