Mamata urges calm amid COVID-like symptoms rise

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said there is no reason to panic about the COVID situation in the state.

Banerjee made the statement after chairing a meeting to review the state's preparedness to deal with another outbreak of coronavirus.

"As per the official information, there is no reason to panic about the COVID situation in the state. But we have to remain alert," she said.

Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, senior officers of the Health Department, representatives of civic bodies, including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and Panchayat Department officials were present at the meeting.

"We took stock of the preparedness in the meeting. Hopefully, the pandemic will never come back. We have to be alert, not create panic," Banerjee said.

"People with comorbidities like infection in the lungs and chest or some other issues have to be more alert. Sometimes, age is also a factor. These days, even in cases of cough and cold, we start treating them as COVID," she said Asserting that her government was, is and will continue to be with the people, Banerjee said state-run hospitals have the requisite infrastructure in place.

"We have not taken any decision because the situation is not at all bad. This is nothing but a type of influenza. We witness cough and cold during monsoon and winter, which is very common," she said.

As per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, West Bengal had 747 active COVID-19 cases on Monday morning, with one reported death.