The detection of 32 Covid cases at one go in Cooch Behar has prompted the district administration to draw up plans to prevent further spread of the pandemic.

Till Thursday, Cooch Behar had been the only corona-free district of north Bengal. However, as the test reports of a group of migrant workers reached the administration from North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, it was found that 32 of them were infected. Most of them are from Dinhata sub-division.

The local business community of Dinhata held a meeting on Friday evening and decided that shops would remain open only from 8am to 11am. “After that, only ration shops and medicine shops will be open. Also, no bikes or e-rickshaws will be allowed to enter Dinhata town from adjoining areas,” said Udayan Guha, the Trinamul MLA of Dinhata.

In Cooch Behar town, Sanjay Pal, the SDO, visited the local markets with a police team. He told the shopkeepers that shops should open on alternate days.

Eight new cases have been reported in North Dinajpur on Saturday. All of them are residents of Itahar block.

In Siliguri, two suspected corona patients, who are from ward 22 of the city and Naxalbari block, have died at Desun Hospital.