Bengal is under an unofficial lockdown and will remain so, indicated chief minister Mamata Banerjee while making it clear while the state would not force residents to go indoors, shut down businesses and work establishments, it could ill afford people mingling on the streets.

“People have to behave like there is a lockdown in place, though there is no such announcement. A lockdown will hurt the interests of the common people. The poor will suffer without food and we cannot allow that,” Mamata said at the state secretariat on Monday while meeting senior officers of the administration, police and community leaders, her first major interaction with them since winning the Assembly polls for a straight third-term.

Earlier in the day, 43 members of the third Cabinet of the Mamata Banerjee-government were sworn-in as ministers at a low-key ceremony at Raj Bhawan. Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar administered the oath of office and secrecy to the ministers.

“We had to stop local train services, but we have left room for businesses to run by minimising the risk of infection,” she explained.

On April 30, the state government had ordered an indefinite shutdown of shopping complexes, malls, restaurants, cinemas, bars, beauty parlour, spas, gyms, swimming pools and sports complexes. Neighbourhood shops selling groceries and pharmacies have been exempt, but local markets have been restricted to open for a few hours every day.

Gatherings for social, academic, entertainment and cultural purposes have been banned indefinitely. Last week, the state government stopped all local trains from running, while Metro and bus services were curtailed.

Till Sunday evening, Bengal had recorded 19,441 fresh Covid cases and 124 deaths.

Keeping in mind the approaching Id festival, Mamata has requested the Muslim community leaders to have fewer people attend the community namaz this time.

“I have been told there will be no public namaaz at Red Road this year. The Superintendents of Police in the districts should talk to the mosque committees and other community leaders to not allow large congregations,” Mamata said.

The chief minister, who also heads the health department, said May could prove to be crucial for the state.

“For the next 15 days, at least all of us must strictly follow the Covid protocol. It is likely that the virus will strike big in the coming fortnight or so. There is a shortage of oxygen and vaccines. Therefore, we must all take every step possible to avoid exposure,” she said. “We must stay at home as much as possible, follow Covid porotocol and we must not roam around.”

Reiterating her promise to provide free vaccines to all residents of the state, Mamata accused the Centre of not lending a helping hand to state governments.

“We asked for 3 crore vaccines, and we have received only one lakh. What can we do with one lakh? If the Centre has sent vaccines abroad, then it is its responsibility to bring the same from another country,” she said. “The government is helping us with neither funds nor vaccines. Why they are doing so we are not aware,” she said.

The chief minister said her government would provide one crore vaccines to private sector hospitals in the state.

Mamata has asked the administration to rope in Durga Puja committees across the state to work for sanitisation in the respective areas.

She also attacked the Centre for collecting goods and services tax on medical equipment for tackling Covid.