All 12 zoos, National Library shut in Bengal till March 31

The West Bengal Government has closed all 12 zoos in the state, including the famous Alipore Zoological Gardens from Tuesday till March 31 as a means of combating the deadly coronavirus infection, a senior minister said.

Kolkata, March 17 The West Bengal Government has closed all 12 zoos in the state, including the famous Alipore Zoological Gardens from Tuesday till March 31 as a means of combating the deadly coronavirus infection, a senior minister said.

The National Library here is also being shut till March 31, an official said.

Minister for Forests Rajib Banerjee told mediapersons that the decision was taken in view of an advisory from the Central Zoo Authority of India which the state government was adhering to totally.

"Our first priority is to save the lives of the people. The risk of a coronavirus infection increases manifold from large gatherings, which we want to avoid in the state," he said.

Banerjee said at the same time, the state government was going all out to ensure that animals in the zoos do not catch diseases like coronavirus and swine flu. "The animals are now not being given any chicken," he said.

( With inputs from IANS )