Kolkata, Jun 26 (IANS): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday relaxed the night curfew hours during the extended Covid-19 lockdown across the state. She said the new restrictions will apply from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. from the earlier 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. everyday.

Earlier this week, Banerjee had extended the lockdown in the state till July 31 to contain the spread of Covid-19 infections.

"We have decided that from July 1 the night curfew hours will be from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., instead of 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. We had understood that it is not possible for some people to get home by 9 p.m. So we have extended the timing by an hour," Banerjee told a press conference at the state secretariat Nabanno building here.

CM further said that she wants the metro services to resume from July 1 in Kolkata. "Metro services should resume only with 100 per cent seat occupancy policy, and no passenger standing in the train. We want the Kolkata Metro authorities to resume services from July 1 following all the precautionary and sanitisation norms. It would help the common people as far as their regular transportation is concerned," she said.

Meanwhile, the Kolkata Metro Railway spokesperson said they are ready to resume service.

"We are already running our trains twice every day, without passengers. If the state government gives us a go-ahead, we will resume operations maintaining the necessary guidelines," the spokesperson said.