A steady surge has been witnessed in the number of Covid cases in at least four districts of north and south Bengal in the past few days.

While in north Bengal, more than 100 new cases have been reported every day in the districts of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri, a similar trend has been seen in East and West Midnapore districts in southern parts of the state.

Ahead of the Durga Puja, health officials had time and again mentioned that people should strictly adhere to health safety protocols to curb the spread of the pandemic.

“However, after the festivities, we have seen how the number of cases climbed in all districts. The impact can be still felt in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts where over 100 new cases were reported every day in the past seven days,” said Sushanta Roy, the officer on special duty deputed by the state government to handle the Covid-19 situation.

Sources in the state health department said from November 8 to 16, 1,248 people were infected in Darjeeling district while the figure is 1,157 in Jalpaiguri.

So far, 13,697 cases have been reported in Darjeeling district, while 10,932 people have been tested positive in Jalpaiguri.

“This indicates that the viral load is high in these districts, particularly in towns. Also, we are apprehensive that the number of super spreaders is on the rise,” added Roy.

In East Midnapore, there had been 30 deaths and 2,066 new cases in these 15 days, while in the neighbouring district of West Midnapore, 32 people have died and 2,631 new cases have been reported during this period.

“Even on November 16, 116 people tested positive in

East Midnapore while 158 samples have been found infected with the virus in West Midnapore,” said Nimai Chandra Mondal, the chief medical officer of health of East Midnapore.

Additional reporting by Anshuman Phadikar