West Bengal government has extended the COVID-19 lockdown in the state till June 15. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday, announced the extension, saying the decision was taken to curb the spread of the pandemic, even as the state continued to witness a decline in cases.
On Wednesday, as many as 16,225 fresh infections were reported from the state, raising the tally to 13,18,203. With 153 deaths reported on the day, the death toll mounted to 14,827.
The state now has 1,23,377 active cases, while 11,79,999 patients have recovered from the disease, including 19,071 since Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Class XII exams in the state will be held in the last week of July, and exams for Class X will take place in Mid-August. The dates will be announced by the respective boards.
"We have decided to hold the secondary (Madhyamik) and higher secondary (Uccho Madhyamik) examinations... adhering to all COVID-19 safety protocols," Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat. Both the board examinations will be held at home centres and only for compulsory subjects, the CM added.
—With PTI inputs