Authorities have decided to set up Jalpaiguri district’s second Covid-19 hospital at Matialli in the Malbazar subdivision and create at least 900 more beds for the treatment at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri.

The decisions were taken at a review meeting held by senior administrative officials of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts on Wednesday. The meeting was held at the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad because of a sudden surge in infections.

Subrata Gupta, the additional chief secretary of the state food processing industries and horticulture department, was present at the meeting, along with Gorkhaland Territorial Administration principal secretary Surendra Gupta, and Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling district magistrates, Sashank Sethi and Moumita Godara Basu, respectively.

Officials of the state health department and the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) also attended the meeting.

“The new Covid hospital in Jalpaiguri district will come up at Matialli. It will be set up on the premises of the Industrial Training Institute and will have 60 beds,” Basu said.

“We have also identified seven safe houses for treatment of patients with mild symptoms across the district. The safe homes will have around 50 beds each. If the number of Covid cases increases, we will mull over the proposal of creating micro-containment zones,” said Basu.

As of now, the only Covid hospital that is functional in Jalpaiguri district is the one set up at Biswa Bangla Krirangan in Jalpaiguri town with 100 beds.

Sethi, the Darjeeling DM, said: “The number of beds at the NBMCH for the treatment of Covid patients will be increased by 200. The Triveni Hospital for Covid patients in the Darjeeling hills will also increase beds.”

The existing number of beds at the NBMCH is 110 and at Triveni 150. Besides, six safe houses will be operational across the district soon.

The Siliguri civic authorities will hold an emergency meeting with traders of total 19 markets on Friday, said officials. “Without using masks and sanitisers, nobody will be allowed in markets. At the meeting with traders, we will ask them to strictly maintain all Covid protocols,” SMC commissioner Sonam Wangdi Bhutia said.

A 12-hour night curfew has been clamped at Malbazar in Jalpaiguri district from Tuesday.

“In the past one month, 192 Covid cases have been detected in the town and four persons have died. Considering the rapid increase, it has been decided to enforce curfew throughout the civic area from 8pm to 8am every day,” said a civic official.