KOLKATA: West Bengal on Friday breached the 10,000-mark in COVID-19 cases with the highest single-day spike of 476 infections, raising the tally to 10,224, the state Health Department said.
The death toll due to COVID-19 in the state rose to 451, with nine more people succumbing to the disease since Thursday evening, it said.
All nine of them died due to co-morbidities, and COVID-19 in these cases was "incidental", the department said in its bulletin.
Of the nine deaths, four were from Kolkata; two from Hooghly; and one each from Howrah, South 24 Parganas, Nadia districts, it added.
Of the 476 new cases, 111 were reported from Kolkata, followed by North 24 Parganas (99), Howrah (52), Paschim Medinipur (30), South 24 Parganas (26), Nadia (14), Bankura (5) and Birbhum (3) and one in Purulia, the bulletin said.
The North Bengal districts of Jalpaiguri reported 30 cases, followed by 27 in Coochbehar; 15 in Darjeeling; 10 each in Malda and Dakshin Dinajpur; four in Kalimpong; and two from Alipurduar, it added.
The number of active cases in West Bengal is 5,587.
During the past 24 hours, 218 people have been discharged as they have recovered from the disease.
So far, 4,206 people in the state have recovered from the disease, the bulletin said.
At least 8,758 samples were tested in the last 24 Hours, taking the total number of such examinations to 3,15,699, it added.
State Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose was discharged from the hospital as he recovered from the disease, state Health Department sources said.
Precautionary measures have been stepped up at the West Bengal state secretariat 'Nabanna' after two drivers working for senior officials tested positive for COVID-19, a highly-placed source said on Friday.
One of the two persons drives the vehicle of a joint secretary-level officer posted in the finance department, while the other driver works for a senior police officer.
Both of them tested positive for the disease on Thursday.
The finance department is located on the 12th floor of the 14-storey building.
Following this, attendance was slim at the secretariat, especially in the departments located on the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th as well as in Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on the top floor, on Friday, he added.
"Now, the joint secretary-level officer has met several people during all these days. We have to identify them and sent them for isolation. People who came in touch with the two drivers and the officials for whom they work, have been directed to go for isolation," the source said.
The two officials concerned were asked to go for home isolation while the drivers were sent for treatment.
People are being allowed in the 14th floor "only for very very important reasons", sources at the CMO said.
"As part of the precautionary measures, entry to the chamber of the chief minister was restricted even to senior officers," the source said.
Most officials have been asked to speak on intercom, and employees are coming on shifts to avoid crowding and maintain social distancing.
Last week, drivers of two senior officials posted at the CMO had tested positive for the disease following which the entire building was sanitized for two days.
After that, employees including senior officials on the 12th, 13th and at the CMO were tested for the contagion.
Earlier in the day, Banerjee had urged people to avoid crowding in buses and asked private firms to allow grace timing for employees reporting for work.
"We've ensured no one's marked late in government offices. Visit public places only when it is urgent. Always wear masks and stay safe!" Banerjee tweeted.