Bengal Covid cases spike, flouting protocols during Durga Puja blamed

Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Kolkata since the Durga Puja festivities ended on October 15.

The graph is rising so sharply that city’s civic body has decided to reopen safe houses and quarantine centres on Monday for patients who need to isolate.

After all the  puja shopping and pandal hopping, the Bengal capital reported 242 new Covid infections on Friday. Of these, 150 were fully vaccinated while 15 had the first dose. The officials are attributing the spike to lack of safety protocols followed by people during Durga puja festivities last week.

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Not just Kolkata, numbers are rising across Bengal. Meanwhile, authorities are waiting for the full picture of the spike to emerge next week. Up from 451 to 833 in seven days, the numbers of daily infection in the state are alarming.

What is even more worrying is the fact that most of the new infections are asymptomatic which would mean such people could be going around spreading the virus.