Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today cautioned against the Omicron variant of Covid and asked people to abide by the norms.

“We have to be cautious against Omicron. This is very contagious and spreads quickly. We have fought against Covid and would request everyone to be careful. A few cases have come from abroad to our country. I would request them to remain isolated from their family members. When 300-400 passengers travel in a flight for 10-12 hours then the chance of getting infected is very high,” said chief minister Miss Banerjee while inaugurating the Kolkata Christmas Festival at Allen Park today.

Asking people to wear masks and use hand sanitizer, Miss Banerjee said that masks have become our companion now. We have to abide by the Covid protocols, she added. She announced that every police commissionerate across the state will be decked up for Christmas this year. Miss Banerjee said she has asked state tourism minister Indranil Sen to expand the purview of Christmas celebrations this year onwards. To start with, all police commissionerates and churches will be decorated for the festival, she added.

Expressing her gratitude to the Church heads for running educational institutions and extending their services to the poor with a smile, Miss Banerjee said: “Now there is too much tension and the political pollution is too much in the country. Along with this, global warming is leading to natural calamities. If you want to restore mental peace then we need to maintain smiling faces and a green and clean environment. Mental pollution can be done away with mental peace as peace is the answer to all solutions.”

Speaking on the occasion, Miss Banerjee gave a call for unity and brotherhood. “Let us pledge together to remain united. We love all religions, caste, creed and communities. Our country will be strong only when we are united. If we don’t stand united then ‘divided we fall’. We have to remember that we are very much united. We have to fight unitedly. We have to live with unity and let’s speak, think, write and behave with unity,” she said while extending Christmas wishes on behalf of the state government.