Lockdown 5.0: All public, private employees to join work from June 8, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has said that all private and public sector employees will rejoin work on June 8.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Public, private offices have been allowed to reopen with 100% workforce in Bengal
• The religious places in the state will also reopen with certain restrictions
• However, schools will remain closed till all through June

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday lashed out at the Centre and the Railways for running 'corona express' as she announced fresh guidelines for the fifth phase of lockdown in the state.

Addressing the media two days before Lockdown 4.0 is slated to end, CM Mamata Banerjee said that all public and private workplaces will be back to business in the state by June 8.

CM Mamata Banerjee also announced that all religious places will reopen in the state from June 1, but more than 10 people will not be allowed to gather at these places. "Provisions of sanitisation must be followed at religious places. I hope all religious leaders will follow the rule," she said.

Mamata Banerjee announced that school will remain shut all through June as their complexes are being used as quarantine centres for migrants returning home.

While Mamata Banerjee said that she was happy that migrants were coming back to their home state, she slammed the Centre and the Railways for the alleged lack of social distancing during the journey.

"I am happy my migrant workers are coming back. But I want to ask, why are they being packed in the trains without social distancing?" she said.

Mamata Banerjee said since she has been the railway minister in the past she knows that the Railways has the capacity to run extra trains or add extra coaches in the trains to ensure proper social distancing among migrants onboard.

"Most of these workers are coming from hotspot states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Delhi so why can't the Railways run extra trains so that some social distancing is maintained. No food no water... these migrants are being packed inside trains, sometimes double the capacity," she said.

"Do they want to convert Shramil Specials into Corona Express?" Mamata Banerjee said.

The chief minister urged the people not to hide their symptoms and seek medical help before self-diagnosing. She also requested doctors to start seeing patients, but with full protection.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said that the state is suffering from a double whammy of coronavirus and Cyclone Amphan.

The CM announced that Rs 6250 crore will be released immediately to tackle the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan. Rs 20,000 will be given to 5 lakh households to repair the damaged caused by the cyclone.

She informed media that all state highways and district roads have been cleared of the debris piled up by the cyclone.