West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered government officials to remain on guard against a new strain of coronavirus that has appeared in the UK and some other European countries.
“A new strain of coronavirus has emerged in the UK and is said to be more potent. A second wave could be coming. We should be prepared for this. Some countries, including the UK and Italy, have started the blockade again. We should take ourselves seriously and not let our guard down, ”Banerjee said.
He was heading to a management meeting in the Birbhum district on Monday. Senior state government bureaucrats were also present at the meeting.
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At least two people tested positive for Covid-19 in Kolkata after returning from the UK on December 21. It was the last flight from London to arrive in Kolkata before India suspended all flights from the UK since December 23.
Banerjee, however, said that cases have decreased in West Bengal. While the number of active Covid-19 cases in the state was 36,761 on November 1, it has dropped to 13,774 on December 27.
To date, the state has reported 547,443 cases of Covid-19, of which 9,598 people have died.
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