Five more municipal towns in the Cooch Behar district — Dinhata, Mathabhanga, Haldibari, Tufanganj and Mekhliganj — were placed under lockdown from Monday midnight till March 27 midnight after local people demanded restrictions on movements in the wake of Covid-19 spread.

The Bengal government had on Sunday imposed a lockdown on the Cooch Behar town. With this, all six municipal towns in the district are shut.

The district administration on Monday also announced a lockdown at markets under the Buxirhat police station area. Mekhliganj is close to the Assam border.

“After the lockdown had been announced, people from different walks of life approached us and mentioned that there should be a similar lockdown in Dinhata town also. We held a meeting with different associations and announced a lockdown in the town till March 27,” said Udayan Guha, the civic chairman and the MLA of Dinhata.

In a similar manner, the Mathabhanga municipality announced a lockdown in the town.

Later, the district administration also issued an order placing Dinhata and Mathabhanga under lockdown.

“Residents of both Haldibari and Mekhliganj also want a lockdown. We have informed the district magistrate and are waiting for the order. We believe a lockdown would be imposed on both the towns from Monday,” Mekhliganj subdivisional officer Ramkumar Tamang had said earlier in the day. He is also the administrator of the local civic body.

Even before the lockdown was announced, Tufanganj had virtually become deserted from Monday afternoon.

“It is good that people are themselves asking for lockdown. However, they have to keep in mind that they need to follow rules and guidelines during the lockdown and stay at homes, unless there is an emergency,” said an official in the district administration.

In the neighbouring Alipurduar district, the state had announced lockdown in Jaigaon and Alipurduar. However, on Monday, residents of Falakata raised the demand for lockdown and met officials of the block administration.

“The only isolation unit for suspected coronavirus patients in the Alipurduar district is being run at the super-specialty hospital in Falakata. Most residents here want restriction on the free movement of people to ensure that the infection is not spread,” said a resident.

“As per instruction of the district magistrate, I held a meeting in Falakata and it was unanimously decided that a lockdown would be enforced here,” said Supratik Majumdar, the BDO.

Additional reporting by our Alipurduar correspondent