CM Mamata Banerjee hints schools, colleges could close amid Omicron surge in West Bengal

With the emergence of 11 Omicron cases across West Bengal and an amplified surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked competent authorities to assess the state's situation. Amid the looming threat of a potential third wave, with 'highly-transmissible' variants, the CM Banerjee directed officials to identify containment zones in Kolkata, where cases have been on the rise. 

During an administrative review conclave at Sagar Island, CM Banerjee stated that schools and colleges might be ordered to shut down 'if the situation so demands'. 

"A decision on the international flights coming to Kolkata needs to be taken. As of now, we are not reducing the number of trains due to Ganga Sagar Mela," she added. 

Omicron tally 

India has recorded 781 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus across 21 states and UTs so far out of which 241 people have recovered or migrated, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. Out of the 21 states reporting Omicron cases, Gujarat (73), Kerala (65), Telangana (62), Rajasthan (46), Karnataka (34), Tamil Nadu (34), Haryana (12), West Bengal (11) have reported two-digit figures of Omicron cases whereas Madhya Pradesh (9), Odisha (8), Andhra Pradesh (6), Uttarakhand (4), Chandigarh (3), Jammu and Kashmir (3), Uttar Pradesh (2), Goa (1), Himachal Pradesh (1), Ladakh (1) and Manipur (1) are still on single digits. 

A rapid hike in Omicron infection affected the country's COVID-19 figures as India witnessed a 44% surge in cases on Wednesday. 

COVID-19 tally  

India on Wednesday reported 9,195 fresh COVID-19 cases and 302 fatalities in the last 24 hours. With fresh coronavirus cases, India's total tally has jumped to 3,48,08,886 followed by the death toll standing at 4,80,592. With the active caseload at 77,002, it constitutes 0.22% of the country's total positive cases. Meanwhile, 7,347 people have recovered in the last 24 hours and the recovery numbers stand at 3,42,51,292.

Kolkata's COVID count spiked on Tuesday to a 382 mark. Notably, the city had been reporting less than 100 cases for a brief period until yesterday when the state's COVID-19 graph climbed to 752.