The number of daily attacks in West Bengal on Wednesday crossed the thousands mark. On Thursday, it jumped to 2,000. In Kolkata alone, the number of daily attacks exceeded one thousand. The number of daily attacks in the metropolis, which was 540 on Wednesday, has more than doubled in the last 24 hours. The daily infection rate in the state rose sharply to close to five and a half percent.

According to a bulletin released by the state health department on Thursday, 2,126 people have been newly infected in the state in the last 24 hours. 1,090 people have been affected in the metropolis. Kolkata tops the district-wise list in terms of the number of daily attacks. It is followed by North 24 Parganas.

The number of daily attacks on Wednesday was close to 150 in the North Parganas. It rose to 300 on Thursday. The number of newly infected people also jumped in Howrah, Hooghly, and South 24 Parganas adjacent to Kolkata. Beyond the boundaries of 100, Howrah and South 24 Parganas witnessed daily attacks of 156 and 106, respectively.

In Hoogli, 91 people have been newly infected. In West Burdwan, where 47 people were infected on Wednesday, the number has risen to 121 in the last 24 hours. Malda in North Bengal, Dinajpur in South, and Darjeeling have also seen a sharp rise in new cases.

This is high time people should stop public gatherings in the name of festivals. New Year bash or any event should be avoided. We must be proactive, not reactive, to avoid any further strict lockdown.