KOLKATA: The West Bengal government on Tuesday decided to expand the areas under lockdown and impose tougher restrictions from July 9 to stem the relentless spike in COVID-19 cases, a senior official said.
The containment zones and buffer zones around them will be clubbed together and constitute a "broad-based" containment zone where total lockdown will be imposed from 5 pm on Thursday.
Local authorities will try and arrange home delivery of essential commodities for the residents of these areas, he said.
"These broader containment zones may be subjected to strict lockdown and all offices, government and private, all non-essential activities, congregations, transportations and all marketing, industrial and trading activities be closed," an order issued by Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Alapan Bandyopadhyay said.
It, however, did not mention how long the fresh spell of the shutdown will last.
The current phase of lockdown, in force till July 31, was largely limited to containment zones alone.
On Tuesday, a state government official said that the "casual approach of educated people living in highrises and pucca houses" has resulted in steep rise in COVID-19 cases in Kolkata.
Around 85 per cent of those infected by coronavirus in the metropolis in the last two weeks are educated and live in housing complexes, stand-alone apartment blocks and pucca buildings, while 15 per cent are from slum areas, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) official had said.
Educated and responsible people are expected to help the administration in implementing the plans to check the spread of the virus, but on the contrary, they are non-cooperating, he told PTI.
"The casual attitude of these people is a reason behind the current surge in COVID-19 cases and this has prompted the government to mull the option of re-implementing strict lockdown in certain areas that reported a large number of infections," the official said.
Housing complexes on Anwar Shah Road, Jodhpur Park, Bhowanipore, Alipur, Tollygunge, Ballygunge and other areas have witnessed a steep rise in the number of COVID-19 cases recently.
The metropolis has of late been witnessing a daily average of 200 people being infected by coronavirus.
The city had 2,415 active coronavirus cases on Monday.
"The state health department has advised us to think about re-implementing strict lockdown protocols in these areas. The decision will be taken by the chief minister," he said.
He said 40 per cent of those afflicted with the disease in the city in the last two weeks live in high-end multi-storied buildings and standalone apartment blocks, and 45 per cent in pucca houses, mostly two or three-storey houses, he said.
"These people are somehow reluctant to follow the dos and don'ts," he said.
Residents of these buildings are either hiding if someone is down with fever or suffering from cough and cold, or not letting KMC personnel visit houses to carry out surveys, he said.
"There are instances when even councillors or coordinators of the civic body were not allowed inside a building where a COVID-19 positive patient was reportedly staying," the official said.
"Compared to them, those who are living in slums are more alert. They are better in following norms," he added.
(With PTI Inputs)