Malls, restaurants, bars and parks can open in a limited manner from Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, the Bengal government announced on Monday while extending the stricter restrictions till June 30.

“Some relaxations have been given as it is better than keeping everything closed.… The daily (Covid) positivity rate has come down to 6 per cent from 32 per cent recorded during the last phase of elections.… We will bring down this rate too,” chief minister Mamata Banerjee said.

The relaxations will formally come into force after 6pm on Tuesday (June 15), when the ongoing phase of restrictions will end. But the attendant conditions will ensure that many establishments will have to wait till Wednesday morning to reopen.

The state government said that restrictions would continue on the movement of suburban trains, inter-state and intra-state bus services, Metro rail services and all modes of road transportation. Sources said restrictions on all outdoor activities would remain in force between 9pm and 5am.

Some of the key relaxations announced on Monday:

⚫ Private offices can operate from 10am to 4pm with 25 per cent attendance. Employers should make transport arrangements and obtain e-passes from Calcutta police or the district administration concerned.

⚫ All production units and IT companies can operate with 50 per cent employees in each shift, subject to vaccination.

⚫ All government departments, except those dealing with emergency services, will operate with 25 per cent staff.

⚫ Retail shops selling vegetables, fish, fruits, bread, milk, meat and eggs can operate between 7am and 11am.

⚫ All other retail shops can function from 11am to 6pm.

⚫ Restaurants and bars, including in hotels and malls, can function between 12noon and 8pm at 50 per cent seating capacity.

⚫ Retail shops in malls and market complexes will operate from 11am to 6pm with 25 per cent employees and at 30 per cent customer capacity. (Since the curbs were announced, only outlets selling essentials were open in malls.)

⚫ Parks will open between 6am and 9am for morning walk and physical exercise. But only those who have taken two doses of vaccine will be allowed to enter.

⚫ Tea auction is allowed with 25 per cent employee strength.

⚫ Indoor and outdoor shooting for television and films is allowed with a maximum of 50 people at a time, subject to vaccination.

⚫ Banks and financial institutions can function between 10am and 2pm.

⚫ Games and sports may resume in stadiums and clubs with sports facilities but without spectators.

Sources said the restrictions in place since May 16 had helped bring down daily Covid cases to 3,519 (on Monday) from 19,511 recorded on May 15, but lifting all restrictions now would be detrimental to containing the spread of the pandemic.

“It was discussed that some kind of restrictions should be in place until the daily positivity rate comes down to less than 5 per cent of the total number of samples being tested. At present, around 60,000 samples are tested across the state daily. At the same time, the state government has introduced some relaxations to ensure that economic activities continue in the state,” a senior government official said.

Although the state made it clear that the heads of the departments of the government should prepare a roster to ensure 25 per cent of employees attend office and arrange vehicles for their transportation to and from office, a section of employees said they might face difficulty in reporting for duty in the absence of suburban trains.

“Many state government employees come from outside the metropolis and I doubt whether the office will provide a pick-up and drop facility for those living in places afar,” said an employee of the land department.