By ANI

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that her government will provide help to people of the state stranded in different parts of the country but expressed inability to provide quarantine facilities for "lakhs and lakhs of people".

"We have taken a decision, if a person is tested positive for COVID-19 and that person has provision to isolate himself at his residence, the person can home quarantine himself.,' Mamata said.

While lamenting that state lacks the capability of providing large quarantine facilities, she said, "Lakhs and lakhs of people can't be quarantined, government has its own limit."

However, West Bengal Health Department later on clarified that COVID-19 positive patients should be mandatorily brought to hospitals. Only primary/secondary contacts will be allowed home isolation.

Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee has said that the state government will "initiate" every possible help to people of the state stranded in different parts of the country due to lockdown, in returning home.

"GoWB will initiate every possible help to people of Bengal stuck in diff parts of the country due to lockdown, in returning home. I've instructed my officers to do the needful. Till the time I'm here, nobody from Bengal should feel helpless. I'm with you in these tough times," Banerjee tweeted.

The Chief Minister also said that all students from Bengal stuck in Kota would begin their journey back soon.

"I am personally overseeing this & we will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that everyone gets any possible help. The initiation has already started & all students from Bengal stuck in Kota would begin their journey back soon," she tweeted.