West Bengal relaxes Covid curbs, allows gyms, jatras with restrictions

The West Bengal government announced certain relaxations of Covid curbs in the state on Monday. In a relaxed order, the state government has allowed gyms to reopen with 50 per cent capacity, which were closed for nearly two weeks following the coronavirus-induced curbs. The Mamata Banerjee government has also permitted the holding of jatras (traditional theatres), outside shooting of films and television programmes on some conditions, reported PTI.

According to an official order, the gyms in the state can operate at 50 per cent capacity in any given time till 9 pm. The staff and users must be fully vaccinated or must carry a negative RT-PCR report, according to a PTI report.

Jatras allowed in WB

Jatra has also been allowed in the state in a restricted manner, with 50 per cent capacity in an outdoor venue till 9 pm. If a jatra is being held in an indoor venue, then a maximum of 200 people or 50 per cent of the capacity can attend the programme, whichever is lower.

The permission for outdoor shooting of films or TV programmes has also been given with adherence to physical distancing and appropriate Covid protocols. Despite extending the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions till January 31, the West Bengal government on Saturday allowed fairs on open grounds in a restricted manner with strict adherence to Covid safety norms.

Gym owners welcome move

Hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the gym owners and physical trainers had been protesting on the streets over the past two weeks, demanding reopening of gyms with restrictions. After the government allowed gyms to be operated at 50 per cent capacity, the owners welcomed the move and thanked the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for extending her support to the Bengal fitness industry.

“The decision has given a fresh lease of life to more than 5,000 gym owners and over 5 lakh people who are associated with the training industry. We promise to stick by all stipulations and maintain the utmost sanitisation and safety measures at the gyms,” Gagan Sachdev of Gym Owners’ Forum in Bengal was quoted by the TOI as saying.

Actors, producers relaxed

The Tollywood actors, models, directors and producers also heaved a sigh of relief after knowing that outdoor shootings would begin soon. Director Saibal was quoted by TOI as saying that people are bored of watching TV serials within the four walls of the house. He said that now the members of the Tollywood fraternity would now be able to easily plan shoots, adding that three of his current serials have outdoor shootings soon.

Producer Rana Sarkar, who is considering a shooting schedule for a commercial film in Purulia, said now everything would fall into place with the relaxed notification.

Bengal Covid situation

The number of West Bengal’s daily Covid-19 cases came down to less than 10,000 after 12 days on Monday, when 9,385 new infections were recorded, according to the health department data. The number of fresh cases on Monday is 5,553 less than Sunday’s as the tally went up to 19,07,084. Altogether 33 fresh fatalities, down from the previous day’s 36, took the death toll to 20,121, the health department said in a bulletin. The state had registered 19,064 new infections and 39 deaths on Saturday.

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