West Bengal has set up a ₹200 crore fund to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, said on Monday following an administrative meeting.

Apart from this, the state government has asked all education institutions, including government, government-aided and private ones, to remain closed till April 15. An earlier government order had said educational institutions in the state were to remain closed till March 31.

Requests have been made to keep cinema halls, auditoriums and stadiums closed till March 31, while reality show-makers have been advised to suspend shootings till the end of this month. Though shopping malls and markets will remain open, they have been asked to sanitise their premises.

“We are invoking the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 as a precautionary measure. I reiterate there is no need to panic. But, we have to take precautions as the virus is seen increasing rapidly in the fourth week or a month since its first detection,” the Chief Minister told media persons at the State secretariat.

“We cannot close down malls and markets as people buy essentials and daily supplies. However, we advise them to maintain caution and sanitise premises,” she added.

Requests have also been made to religious leaders or community heads to see to that there is no major gathering. “We cannot close down religious places. But, we are requesting the religious leaders to ensure that there is no major gathering. Fair organisers in rural areas have been requested to postpone their plans,” Banerjee said.

According to her, the state government has already placed orders for face masks, personal protective equipment (PPEs), ventilators and other requisite “gear” to fight the virus outbreak.

The police have also been asked to keep a watch and see that there is no hoarding and black-marketing of face-masks or other essential items.

No positive cases

So far, no person in the state has tested positive for the coronavirus.

According to Banerjee, some 324,000-odd people have been screened in Bengal and around 5,590 people have been kept under home surveillance.

“Till now, there have been no positive cases in the State. We are keeping a watch,” she said.

Elections postponed

Meanwhile, civic polls and local body elections due in the state have been postponed “for the time being”. Elections to 107 civic bodies, including the largest in the state – the Kolkata Municipal Corporation – were due in April. The decision will be reviewed after 15 days.

According to Sourav Das, State Election Commissioner, all political parties, including the ruling Trinamool Congress and the prime opposition, BJP, have agreed to defer the elections.

The elections are seen as a litmus test for both the Trinamool Congress and the BJP ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls.

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