Seven major markets and four malls in Barrackpore were shut on Monday to break the Covid infection chain.

Alarmed at the growing number of Covid cases across the Barrackpore sub-division in North 24-Parganas, the civic body there had decided on June 18 to close all markets for seven days, till June 27, from Monday.

A team of police officers and representatives of the Barrackpore Municipality, led by Uttam Das, the chairperson of the board of administrators, toured parts of Nona Chandanpukur, Madav Nivas, Burir Market and Talbagan Road in the morning to ensure that the markets remained closed. “We had made extensive announcements over the last three days informing everyone about the decision,” Das told The Telegraph.

Over the last few weeks, Barrackpore, 32km north of Calcutta, was registering a little over 100 Covid cases every day even when the other five sub-divisions of North 24-Parganas were witnessing a steady fall in cases, senior officials of the health department said.

“We thought of working or micro containment zones in Barrackpore but realised even that wouldn't be enough to flatten the curve,” said a senior official of the health department. “After a few rounds of meeting, it was decided that a seven-day closure of the markets was the only way out.”

Barrackpore Municipality, which is spread across 24 wards, is the first civic body to impose complete closure of markets during the second-wave of the coronavirus this year. In July last year, Barasat Municipality, also in North 24-Parganas, had decided to close all markets across 35 wards to bring down the number of Covid cases.

“Residents across wards (in Barrackpore) shouldn’t face much problem because vendors selling fish and vegetables keep visiting the localities. Besides, the grocery shops in neighbourhoods are open,” said Debasishish Ghosh Dastider, a member of the board of administrators of Barrackpore Municipality.