COVID-19: Bengal death toll now 7; 71 Nizamuddin attendees quarantined

Three more COVID-19 patients died in West Bengal on Wednesday, taking the death count in the state to seven, while the state government traced 71 people, including foreigners, who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin and placed them under quarantine. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said 37 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the state so far.

She wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a 25,000-crore package to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. Three COVID-19 patients died at hospitals at Golabari area of Howrah district, Belghoria in North 24 Parganas district and in the city, officials said.

"The patients from Golabari and Belghoria had diabetes and kidney ailments. We are trying to find out if they had travel history," said a health official. The chief minister, however, attributed only three deaths to COVID-19.

"So far, there are 37 cases in Bengal, including three persons who died due to COVID-19. Some media houses are sensationalising the issue saying six have died. It is their imagination. The other three died because of other health conditions," she said. Banerjee did not clarify whether the three others contracted the virus.

One more person died later in the evening. The seventh person to die was an elderly man who was tested positive for COVID-19 and was in a private hospital. However, there was no official confirmation of whether he died due to coronavirus or any other ailments.

The CM said the government has so far identified 71 people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin, and had placed 54 people from that group under quarantine. "Out of the 54, around 40 people are foreigners. The remaining (17 persons) would also be quarantined today. We are monitoring the situation," she said.

Banerjee said she will not attend Prime Ministers video conferencing with all the chief ministers on Thursday and the chief secretary will take part in it. "I would request you not to propagate that I am not attending it due to any other reason. I attended it last week and placed my proposals. I have nothing new to add. Our chief secretary will be there to do the needful," she said.

Banerjee said she has written to PM Modi seeking financial assistance to combat the situation. "The condition of the state's finance is in dire straits. We think the central government should immediately sanction Rs 25,000 crores to West Bengal and also release other funds due to the state," she said.

The health department issued a corrigendum on Wednesday saying 10,341 people are on home isolation in the state and not 1,03,391 as it had stated on Tuesday. Meanwhile, clashes were reported outside various PDS shops in several parts of the state, as people jostled against each other outlets to grab free rations provided by the government.

In Murshidabad's Kandi and Purulia's Balarampur, police had to intervene to disperse the crowd. West Bengal Food Supplies minister Jyotipriyo Mullick said the state has enough stock of food grains to last till September and there is no need to panic.

The West Bengal government has announced free rations to more than 7.5 crore population of the state till September this year. Despite the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown in the state, people were seen jostling in market places in various parts of the state in violation of the advice of social distancing.

Personnel of the police and civic bodies were seen asking people through public address systems to remain indoors. Meanwhile, a scuffle broke out between policemen and locals in Dhapa area, after people protested against cremation of a man who died of COVID-19. His body was later taken to Nimtala burning ghat.

Around 35 per cent sweetmeat shops in the city and elsewhere opened their shutters on Wednesday, and did "decent business," with limited stock and skeletal staff..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)