The biggest challenge for the state government amid the stricter curbs in place is to provide uninterrupted health care in government and private hospitals as thousands of health workers living in rural pockets wondered how they would commute to their workplaces from Sunday.

Sources in the health department said unlike the 2020 lockdown when the number of active cases was minimal in rural areas, the situation of the pandemic in 2021 is different as there is a surge in infections in both urban and rural pockets. Also, in 2021, healthcare workers are saddled with the pressure of vaccination and testing at the same time. Last year, there was no vaccination drive.

“Last year, we asked the grassroots level nursing staff to commute to the rural health centres twice or thrice in a week. This time we can’t do so as the infection has spread in villages too. Again, last year, there was no pressure of vaccination but this time it is a major job,” said a senior health official in Calcutta.

The health officials in districts have held several meetings after employees started reporting transport problems amid the curbs in the second wave of the pandemic.

Some districts have implemented solutions that are not possible to scale up across districts, said sources.

In East Burdwan, the district health department has booked two government guest houses — one of Burdwan Municipality and another of Burdwan University — on Saturday to accommodate doctors and staff on Covid duty.

“We can accommodate at least 100 persons every day at the two guest houses....We have asked blocks and subdivisions to arrange vehicles to reach the staff at vaccination or testing centres,” said Pranab Roy, the Chief Medical Officer of East Burdwan.

Health officials in districts, however, said there are over 1,000 health staff in every district handling Covid related jobs and it is impossible to give all of them transport or housing by the health department.

Dipanwita Malick, an Ayush practitioner posted at the Burdwan CMOH office, who comes to her office from her residence in Hooghly’s Uttarpara, is worried about the latest curbs.

“Our problems started when the local trains were cancelled. Then, we started boarding special trains meant for railway employees but they were too crowded. Now (from Sunday), I will have no option to get a bus if I miss the special train. Last year (during lockdown), I had to stay in Burdwan in a rented room of a guest house. I am a contractual employee and have no money to commute to work by hiring a private car,” said Dipanwita.

Additional reporting by Alamgir Hossain and Subhasish Chaudhuri