Lockdown 5: Bengal CM Mamata Allows Religious Places to Open From June 1

“Since the Centre is allowing huge gatherings in Shramik Special trains, not even leaving the middle berths empty, there is no reason why religious places should not be opened with restrictions", CM Mamata Banerjee

(File Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: As the country will enter the fifth phase of lockdown on Monday, considering the daily surge in numbers, West Bengal CM has announced a slew of relaxations, including opening up of religious places and allowing 100% staff in private offices. West Bengal became the first state to announce that all religious places will open from June 1, which will be the start of the fifth phase of the lockdown. However, not more than 10 people will be allowed inside and no religious congregation will be allowed, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Addressing the media she said, "Provisions of sanitization must be followed at religious places. I hope all religious leaders will follow the rule." West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also announced that all private offices can operate in the state with a complete workforce and govt offices with a 70 % workforce from June 8. The jute mills and tea industry, however, are allowed to summon full staff strength from June 1. Mamata Banerjee announced that school will remain shut all through June as their complexes are being used as quarantine centers for migrants returning home. While Mamata Banerjee said that she was happy that migrants were coming back to their home state, she slammed the Centre and the Railways for running 'Corona Express' for the alleged lack of social distancing during the journey. Mamata Banerjee said that she knows that the Railways has the capacity to run extra trains or add extra coaches in the trains to ensure proper social distancing among migrants onboard since she has been the railway minister in the past. "Most of these workers are coming from hotspot states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi so why can't the Railways run extra trains so that some social distancing is maintained. No food no water... these migrants are being packed inside trains, sometimes double the capacity," she said. The chief minister urged the people not to hide their symptoms and seek medical help before self-diagnosing as the numbers are continuously increasing in the state. She also requested doctors to start seeing patients, but with full protection. West Bengal recorded 344 new cases on Friday taking the number to 4536 cases in the state.