The police are keeping a close watch on public movements in Kolkata, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly places that have largely contributed to the spike in COVID-19 cases post Durga puja -- and have arrested people in parts of the state for violating health protocols.

At least 72 people have been arrested in South 24 Parganas for not wearing masks -- 30 in Narendrapur and 42 in Sonarpur, a police officer said.

The state government has earmarked 24 containment zones in Sonarpur and Narendrapur, shutting down marketplaces and non-essential shops for three days to curb the spread of the disease.

At Chandannagar in Hooghly district, 16 wards have been declared as micro-containment zones and people without masks on roads were asked to do sit-ups in public, the officer said.

In Barasat, North 24 Parganas, some locals were detained for flouting COVID norms.

In the city, too, the police distributed masks and warned people of consequences for violating the protocols, the officer added.

Bengal currently has 129 containment zones, 43 of which are in South 24 Parganas district.

The state is experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases since the culmination of Durga Puja.

The state reported 976 new cases on Wednesday, pushing the tally to 15,89,042.

In a letter to the West Bengal government on October 22, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said the state has reported 20,936 infections and 343 fatalities in the last 30 days, accounting for 3.4 per cent of the country's new cases and 4.7 per cent of fresh deaths.