Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that morning walks would be allowed from 5.30am to 8.30am but stressed that the walkers would have to follow physical distancing norms.
An official later said morning walks would be allowed from Wednesday.
“We have decided to allow morning walks. Many people are not able to do morning walks. They are stuck at home for over three months. If they cannot go for a morning walk, they don't feel comfortable. It's all about catching some fresh air. So, we are allowing morning walks,” Mamata said at Nabanna.
“As a strict lockdown is in force from 10pm to 5am, the morning walk will start from 5.30am. It will not be allowed beyond 8.30pm because we have to segregate all our activities,” she said.
When cops were asked what they would do if a walker tried to flout the time limit, they said they would request him or her to comply with the guideline. “Repeat offenders will be prosecuted,” said an officer.
Mamata said: “The morning walkers should not come in close contact with one another.”
Hours later, Firhad Hakim, chairman of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation’s board of administrators, tweeted: “It is our pleasure to inform that under the instructions of the honourable chief minister the Rabindra Sarobar Lake and Subhas Sarobar are being opened… from 5.30am to 8.30pm. The citizens are being requested to wear masks and maintain social distancing”.
At Rabindra Sarobar, 8,000 to 10,000 morning walkers used to assemble on an average. At Subhash Sarobar, the count stands at 6,000-odd.
Ishika Guha, a resident of Lake Gardens who used to frequent Rabindra Sarobar, said: “We wanted the park to reopen at the earliest. I don’t know why the park remained shut”.
Wedding guests
The cap on the number of people at a wedding reception has been increased from 25 to 50, the chief minister said.
“The same (50) will be allowed at funerals and shraddhs,” she said.
“We have got feedback that on several occasions the number of people from the bride’s side and the groom’s side is reaching 50. So, we are allowing the figure to be raised to 50,” she said.
The chief minister said the bride's side and the groom's side can consider feeding invitees through home delivery. “Invitees would be sent the food items through home delivery. This would be a simple solution. We want everybody to be fed,” she said.
Joka B-school
IIM-Calcutta hosted incoming students from the batch of 2022 online on Monday where new students interacted with current students.
Traditionally, this introduction happens through a series of physical meetings.
Till last year, students of the current batch would meet students of the incoming batch in the cities where they interned, an official of the institute said.