The Darjeeling district task force on Covid-19 on Tuesday decided to extend the ongoing total lockdown in Siliguri till July 29.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the task force. State tourism minister Gautam Deb, who was present at the meeting, said some more containment zones would be marked on the outskirts of the city to prevent the spread of the disease.

“It has been decided that the lockdown in Siliguri will be in force till July 29. This will be imposed in all 47 wards of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation. Also, it has been decided that areas like Salbari, Sukna and Kalamjote and some in Atharokhai panchayat (in which North Bengal University is located) will be marked as containment zones. I will speak to the district magistrate of Jalpaiguri to ensure that the lockdown is extended to some panchayats of the district which are on the outskirts of Siliguri,” Deb said after the meeting.

The stricter lockdown in Siliguri was to have ended on July 23.

The task force also decided that the wholesale market of fruits and vegetables at the Siliguri Regulated Market would reopen but the wholesale fish market would continue to remain closed.

The East Burdwan district administration has announced total lockdown in Burdwan town for seven days
from Wednesday because of rising Covid-19 cases.

The state health department is considering a proposal to add around 500 beds at the safe houses (where asymptomatic and mild symptomatic patients are kept) in Siliguri.

“As of now, we have around 170 beds at the safe houses in Siliguri and another 500 beds will be added soon. We are trying to find new buildings to open more safe houses. In north Bengal, there are around 8,000 beds at safe houses,” said Sushanta Roy, the officer on special duty (OSD) for Covid-19 in north Bengal.