Uneasy silence grips Kolkata as COVID-19 cases mount

Hospitals in the city are already refusing admission citing lack of beds

An uneasy silence has gripped the city of Kolkata, whose streets were witnessing dizzying political activity until recently but where arterial roads are now ruled by the sound of hurrying ambulances. The question uppermost on the minds of its people is no longer “Who will come to power?” but “What if we need hospitalisation due to COVID-19?” Hospitals in the city are already refusing admission citing lack of beds and the situation expected to unfold in the coming days is unlikely to be vastly different from what’s playing out in many other parts of the country, where patients are gasping for timely attention.