People were out on the streets on the city’s northern outskirts, including in Lake Town, Bangur and parts of Dum Dum, on Monday with scant regard for distancing rules.

The South Dum Dum Municipality enforced a “complete lockdown” in its 35 wards, including these areas, on Monday. A similar enforcement happened in the 34 wards of North Dum Dum Municipality on Friday, a municipality official said.

Both municipalities have imposed the lockdown because there has been an “exponential rise” in the number of Covid-19 patients, officials of both municipalities said.

Markets in these wards were told to close down by noon, an officer of the Barrackpore commissionerate said.

Police had barricaded all lanes leading to Jessore Road and Dum Dum Road and the entry/exit of people were monitored. But several standalone shops, eateries and tea stalls in some pockets remained open past the deadline.

A temporary market along Dum Dum Road near Dum Dum station ignored the deadline.

Three people on two-wheelers were a common sight and eateries kept drawing customers even after 1pm. Cyclists, too, kept moving in and out of the lanes and many were seen squeezing through the gaps in the barricades, the police said.

In some areas, many shops downed shutters around 1.30pm after being told by cops and civic officials.

“This was the first day and some shops were open past the deadline but shopkeepers cooperated with our teams when they were asked to close down,” Pachu Ray, the chairman of the board of administrators of South Dum Dum Municipality, said.

The police shut down several tea stalls and fast-food joints along Belghoria Expressway. “We are not allowing anyone to go out without a reason. Our men are taking the call only in case of an emergency,” Ananda Roy, deputy commissioner, south zone of the Barrackpore commissionerate, said.

Lockdown was imposed in Belghoria, parts of North Barrackpore near Noapara, Garulia Municipality, and Khardah Municipality on Monday.

A lockdown for seven days will be imposed in several places in Baranagar on Wednesday. There has been a steady rise in the number of Covid-19 patients in Baranagar, Khardah and Noapara, a municipality official said.