Public libraries sponsored and aided by the state government have been allowed to resume transactions of books and other services to readers from Wednesday.

The directive to open the libraries comes with the rider that the service would be restricted to two days a week — Monday and Wednesday — to readers aged above 18 years.

The library cannot allow readers beyond 50 per cent of its accommodation.

The readers will be allowed in after a thermal gun temperature check and sanitisation.

An order to this effect was issued by the director of library services on Tuesday. The government directed the library authorities to ensure the service by maintaining Covid-19 protocols.

All district magistrates, who are chairperson of the local library authorities by virtue of their designated status, have been directed to comply with the order to ensure services to the readers.

In March last year, the library service was suspended because of Covid-induced lockdown.

The service resumed on January 26 this year. However, with a surge in Covid cases, library services were again suspended from April 28. In the backdrop of the second wave of the pandemic, the Bengal government announced a number of restrictions to contain the spread of the disease. Most of the restrictions were subsequently withdrawn.

The state has at present 2,480 libraries, 13 of which are government-run. Another 2,460 libraries are government-sponsored and seven state-aided. In September last year, the state had instructed the libraries to clean books once a fortnight and sanitise the premises.

Manoj Chakraborty, the chief mentor of readers’ forum Janasadharoner Granthagar O Karmi Kalyan Samity, said: “The state government should take immediate steps to protect invaluable books and scripts which we fear have been seriously damaged because of lack of proper care.”