Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said Bengal would continue to observe complete lockdown on certain days at least till September 20.

The chief minister announced three complete lockdown days on September 7 (Monday), 11 (Friday) and 12 (Saturday). The remaining full lockdown days in August are 27 (Thursday) and 31 (Monday).

“I am declaring two to three dates when complete lockdown will be in place. The rest we will inform by September 20,” Mamata said.

“As Covid cases are rising in different states, I feel that it will not be proper to withdraw the lockdown completely,” the chief minister said at Nabanna after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Mamata added: “Schools and colleges, which are closed these days, will remain closed till September 20. Status quo will be maintained in case of attendances in offices.”

Government offices now operate with 50 per cent of their employees, and private enterprises are advised to encourage work from home wherever it is possible.

Sources in the state secretariat said the government would review the situation across Bengal after September 17 and take a decision on whether further complete lockdown is needed in the rest of the month.

The sources said a preliminary assessment of the complete lockdown being put in place in phases since July 23 suggested it had helped contain the spread of Covid to some extent.

“On July 28, new Covid cases in Calcutta were 778. On August 25, it is 541. It is assumed that the strategy to impose complete lockdown has helped us contain the spread in Calcutta,” said a senior official.