Shops and markets, barring those selling milk and medicines, in parts of Garia, Boral, Rajpur, Sonarpur, Harinavi, Kodalia and Subhasgram, on the southern fringes of Calcutta, will be shut for three days starting Monday.

The authorities of Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality took the decision following an alert from the health department over the rising number of Covid cases from those areas.

“All shops and markets, except those offering emergency services like milk and medicines, will be shut. We will start campaigning from Saturday. If any shop is found open without a valid reason, action will be taken under the Disaster Management Act. We might decide to replicate this model again,” Pallab Das, the chairman of Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality, told The Telegraph.

“The Covid situation in Rajpur and Sonarpur is a cause of concern,” a health department official said.

In South 24-Parganas, micro-containment zones have been declared in Bhangar, Canning and Mahestala.