Combating COVID-19: Complete lockdown in West Bengal till March 31

West Bengal has been put under complete lockdown from 5 pm today to March 31, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

"The entire West Bengal has been put under lockdown from 5 pm today till March 31," said Chief Minister Banerjee at Nabanna during a press conference.

She said that a 'Procheshta Scheme' has also been launched under which the people who have lost their income will get Rs 1,000. To get assistance under the scheme, the people need to apply from April 15 to April 30.

"The government will be giving free ration to the poor for the next six months," she added.

Speaking about crowding outside grocery shops and banks, Banerjee said that the people should maintain a distance between each other to avoid getting infected with the coronavirus.

She also appealed to the print media to distribute newspapers to the hawkers from their vehicle itself and "not keep the piles of newspapers on the road."

"The newspaper hawkers are also requested to not put up their stalls on the road," she said while adding that even the youths should avoid playing cricket on roads.

According to the data compiled by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the total number of the infection-related death toll in the country rose to nine on Tuesday, while the total number of active cases has reached 482.