The West Bengal government, in an order on Friday, ordered the closure of all shopping complexes/malls, beauty parlours, cinema halls, restaurants, bars, sports complexes, gyms, spas, and swimming pools till further orders.

Medical shops, medical equipment outlets, grocery stores, along with home delivery services, have been kept out of the order's purview. All social and cultural gatherings have been prohibited in the state in light of the Covid-19 situation.

Only markets will be allowed to operate between 7 am and 10 am, and 3 pm and 5 pm in the state.

According to the government order, all activities related to electoral counting processes and victory rallies/processions will be guided as per the latest order issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

In its detailed order, the Election Commission on Tuesday said not more than two people will be allowed to accompany the winning candidate to receive their victory certificate for the May 2 election result. The Election Commission ban on victory processions comes as the country witnesses a severe second wave of Covid-19 that has been claiming over 2,000 lives on a daily basis for the past several days.