Covid-19 cases continued to climb on Sunday with 1,459 fresh infections reported across north Bengal in the past 24 hours.

This is the first time during the recent surge that the total number of cases has crossed the 1,000 mark and almost touched the 1,500 mark in a day.

The highest number of new cases was reported in Malda district (529), followed by Darjeeling (319) and Jalpaiguri (186).

The rise in fresh cases also led to an increase in the total number of active cases. On Sunday, as per the daily bulletin issued by the state tourist department, there were 3,872 active patients in the region. One person has died of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, sources said.

The spurt in cases has jolted the administration and local authorities into action. In Cooch Behar’s Dinhata, local markets will remain closed on Saturdays from now.

On Saturday, Siliguri Municipal Corporation had announced that markets across the city would remain closed one day a week. The civic body had also published a list of the markets with the respective days on which they would remain closed.

In Malda, the district administration has deployed volunteers at Manikchak Ghat on the left bank of the Ganga from where daily ferry services run to Jharkhand.

“Our men are examining the body temperature of all those who are arriving from Jharkhand. They are also checking whether those arriving in Manikchak have been vaccinated,” said a source in the administration.

Meanwhile, a number of policemen, including the inspector-in-charge of Englishbazar police station, have tested positive in the district.

In Alipurduar town, all the markets and shops will remain closed on every Tuesday and Sunday. Sub-divisional officer Biplab Sarkar said the decision was made at a meeting held with different trade bodies.

During those two days, the state fire services department would be engaged in sanitising the marketplaces.

“There has been a surge in Covid cases during the past few days and it is necessary to keep the markets and shops closed twice in a week to break the chain. We have also launched a drive to encourage people to wear masks. Our officers have started imposing fines on people who are moving around without masks,” said Sarkar.

Sources said the fine ranged from Rs 50 to Rs 200. The rise in cases has prompted the administration mark seven micro-containment zones in the district so far.

Dulal Debnath, the sahakari sabhadhipati of Jalpaiguri Zilla Parishad, has also tested positive. He has recently returned from Calcutta with Uttara Barman, the sabhadhipati.

“He has visited Zilla Parishad after his return. On Monday, the entire premises would be sanitised. All those who had come in contact with him have been asked to be in isolation at their homes,” the sabhadhipati said.