A number of administrative officers in Malda district and some students and nurses of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, the biggest state-run hospital in north Bengal, which is on the outskirts of Siliguri have contracted Covid-19 in past couple of days.
In Malda, the district magistrate, two additional district magistrates and six deputy magistrates tested positive, said sources in the district health department.
“All are now in home isolation. After their test reports came positive, it was also decided to close the Aadhaar centre in the district collectorate for some time at least as hundreds of people turn up there daily,” said an official.
“Also, public announcements in the district court campus and some other busy areas have started so that people adhere to the restrictions,” the official added.
At the NBMCH, 14 medical students and three nurses tested positive on Tuesday. “In north Bengal, this is the first time during the current phase that people associated with the healthcare sector have got infected with Covid-19. Those working in government and private healthcare facilities have been alerted,” said a senior faculty member at the hospital.
In the past 24 hours, 237 new Covid cases have been reported in north Bengal. The highest number of cases have been reported in Malda (94), followed by Darjeeling (50) and Jalpaiguri (38).
The surge in the number of cases has made officials of the health department and the district administration start making preparations to handle Covid patients. In Alipurduar, Surendra Kumar Meena, the district magistrate, visited the hospital in Tapshikhata on the outskirts of the town. The same hospital had served as a Covid hospital in the district.
The civic body in Alipurduar formed a seven-member task force to take care of infected families. In Jalpaiguri, the district administration and police started an initiative for poor Covid patients and their families in home isolation.
“We will supply necessary food items to them at their door free of cost,” said Moumita Godara Basu, the district magistrate.
