The state health department has decided to carry random tests across north Bengal from Wednesday to find out the surge, if any, in Covid-19 cases during Puja.

Ahead of the festivities, doctors and social researchers had expressed fears that there would be a steep surge in Covid cases across Bengal if people did not adhere to health safety protocols.

Sushanta Roy, the officer on special duty for Covid deputed in north Bengal by the state, said administrative officials and chief medical officers of health (CMOHs) of all districts had been asked to start random tests of both rapid antigen and RT-PCR to find out the extent of infections.

“Despite repeated alerts, crowds were seen at some locations and we feel it necessary to find out if the pandemic has spread during the past few days. That is why health officials of all districts have been asked to start random tests. Every day, at least 1,000 such random tests should be conducted in each district. The exercise, we believe, will continue for two weeks or more,” said Roy.

Roy said the state government had tried its best to make people avoid crowding during Durga Puja and wear masks.

In north Bengal, the alerts worked to an extent till Ashtami but on Nabami, thousands came out in the streets, both in towns and villages, for pandal-hopping, sources said.

“On Dashami, I was worried to see the crowd at the immersion ghat on the bank of the Mahananda river in Siliguri,” said a doctor in Siliguri.

“Many were not wearing masks and intermingling freely. I later came to know that eventually police approached these people and asked them to leave.”

In Alipurduar, health officials said they have initially planned to conduct such random tests for the next seven days.

Every day, they will collect 600 samples for rapid antigen tests and another 400 samples for RT-PCR tests. Four places of the district, Birpara Chowpathy in Madarihat, the Jaigaon town at India-Bhutan border, Kumargram and the Birpara Chowpathy near Alipurduar town, have been identified for collection of samples.

“We will initially carry out random tests for seven days. Once we receive the reports and assess the situation, random tests might continue further,” said Girish Chandra Bera, CMOH, Alipurduar.

Additional reporting by our Jalpaiguri correspondent