The Centre has pulled up the West Bengal government over the spike in Covid-19 cases following gathering of people and flouting of protocols during the Durga Puja celebrations earlier this month.

The average daily new infections in Kolkata have been on the rise since the Durga Puja celebrations ended on Oct 15.

From 217 cases in the week ending Oct 14 to 272 cases in the week ending Oct 21, there has been a rise of 20-25% in seven days.

Kolkata has reported an almost 27 percent increase in positivity rate in the past week, from 5.6 percent in the week ending Oct 14 to 7.1 percent in the week ending Oct 21.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to West Bengal Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam on Oct 22 saying that Kolkata is one of the “certain districts in the country that have started showing a worrying trend in daily new cases and positivity rate in recent weeks.”

“With the ongoing festive season, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of Covid safety activities in order to maintain the collective gains made in the battle against the pandemic so far,” Bhushan wrote, adding that necessary corrective measures should be promptly communicated.

Bengal has reported 20,936 new cases and 343 new deaths in the last 30 days, Bhushan said in his letter. This accounts for 3.4 per cent of India’s new cases and 4.7 per cent of new deaths in the last 30 days.