bangladesh
'Strict’ lockdown again if health rules violated: Quader
The government will impose a ‘strict’ lockdown again if health safety rules are not followed everywhere, including the public transport, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader warned on Sunday.
Quader, also the general secretary of Awami League, made the remarks at a regular briefing from his residence in the morning.
“When the public transport will be allowed to resume operation after the lockdown, everyone will have to maintain the social-distancing rules strictly,” said the minister.
Also read: Metro train coaches being moved to depot: Quader
On Saturday, Obaidul Quader said the government was planning to resume public transport services once the current ‘strict lockdown’’ is over.
The government is considering the resumption of public transport services in the interest of people on condition that the health guidelines will be followed properly.
Urging everyone to follow health protocols even if the lockdown is relaxed, Quader said the use of masks and hand sanitisers should be made mandatory.
Also read: Quader to BNP: 'Stop paying lip service amid Covid-19'
On March 31, the government raised the fares of all buses, including inter-district ones, by 60 per cent as the vehicles are allowed to carry only half the passengers of the total seats of a bus to ensure social distancing amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
SC upholds HC bail to Irfan Salim
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday upheld the High Court order that granted bail to Irfan Selim in a case filed over assaulting a Navy officer last year.
A virtual bench led by the Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order after rejecting the petition filed by the state.
Advocate Abdul Baset Majumdar and Advocate Syed Ahmed Raza stood for Irfan while Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed represented the state.
Advocate Syed Ahmed Raza, said “Five cases have been filed against Irfan in this connection. Of these, Irfan got acquitted from two cases in lower court while he secured bail in two other cases from the lower court and now the Appellate Division also upheld the High Court order in the last case.”
So that, there is no bar to release him, he added.
On April 22, the Appellate Division of Supreme Court fixed April 25 for hearing the petition filed by the state challenging bail of Irfan Selim in the Navy officer assault case.
On March 18, the High Court granted him bail which was later stayed for four weeks by the chamber judge on March 28.
Also read: Irfan Salim, bodyguard put on fresh remand
On April 8, Irfan filed a petition challenging the stay order.
According to the case statement, a private car hit Bangladesh Navy’s Lieutenant Wasif Ahmed Khan’s motorcycle near Labaid Hospital at Dhanmondi on October 25, 2020 when he and his wife were returning to their Mohammadpur residence from Nilkhet.
Later, some people, including Irfan, came out of the car and physically assaulted Wasif and verbally abused his wife.
The Navy officer filed a case at Dhanmondi Police Station, naming four people including Irfan. The three other accused are AB Siddique Dipu, 45, Md Zahid, 35, and Md Mizanur Rahman, 30. All of them are behind bars now.
On October 26, 2020, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained Irfan from his father’s Devdas Lane residence in Old Dhaka. Two firearms, 38 walkie-talkies and liquor were seized from his house during the drive.
He was suspended from the post of councillor the next day. He has been facing four more cases.
He was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for keeping walkie-talkies illegally and another six months for possessing illegal liquor on October 26, 2020 by a mobile court led by Rab.
Pandemic in Bangladesh: Shops, malls reopen doors
The number of private vehicles, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws marked a significant rise on the roads in the capital on Sunday as the government allowed shops and shopping malls to reopen their doors to shoppers on a limited scale.
The pressure of vehicles on the city streets was reported from areas like Mirpur, Gabtoli, Shyamoli, Uttara and Mohakhali amid the lockdown, which has been extended by another week to deal with the worsening Covid-19 situation.
In a circular on Friday, the government allowed the shops and shopping malls to remain open from 10 am to 5 pm from Sunday, prompting many people to return to the capital city.
People were seen entering the capital on foot through Babu Bazar, Amin Bazar Bridge and Tongi Bridge areas.
Although the movement of rickshaws on the main roads were relatively lower in the morning than the other days, those were found moving in backstreets.
However, no public transport and other city services were seen on the city streets.
The owners and workers of shops, markets and shopping malls were seen busy reopening their doors since 9 am.
Read Extension of lockdown causing anxiety among low income earners
While talking to UNB at Rajlaxmi in Uttara, traffic inspector Akhter Hossain said: “The pressure of vehicles is increasing. But such pressure was not there during the last few days since the enforcement of the strict lockdown on April 14. This is happening following the government’s decision to allow shops and shopping malls to reopen.”
However, the movement of rickshaws was comparatively thinner than the other days, he added.
Another traffic inspector, Asaduzzaman, said: “There has been huge traffic in Mohakhali area since morning and our colleagues (fellow police officers) were asking the public for movement pass at designated check posts.”
Strict lockdown in place since April 14
A surge in coronavirus cases prompted the government to go for an eight-day complete lockdown from April 14. The cabinet division issued a notification in this regard on April 12.
Later, following the shattering situation of Covid-19 cases, the government extended the ongoing lockdown by another week from April 22 to bring the situation under control.
A circular was issued on April 20 extending the ongoing strict lockdown for another week from April 22, aiming to curb the transmission of Covid-19.
Also read: Govt issues circular extending lockdown until April 28
As coronavirus cases continued to rise alarmingly since mid-March, the government imposed a loose nationwide lockdown for one week from April 5 as part of its move to contain its spread. Later, a stricter lockdown was declared from April 14 to 21.
Reopening shops and shopping malls
On April 23, the Cabinet Division issued a notice allowing shops and shopping malls to operate from April 25 (10am-5pm) on the condition that they would maintain proper safety protocols.
The shops and malls are permitted to reopen from April 25 subject to maintaining proper safety protocols, says the notice signed by Deputy Secretary Md Rezaul Islam.
Shops and shopping malls were shut from April 5 with a spurt in covid cases and deaths.
But the shopkeepers and traders waged street protests demanding the reopening of businesses. They argued that they had suffered massive losses last year during the lockdown.
Eid-ul-Fitr is generally the busiest time for businesses but last year’s Eid was celebrated amid the covid outbreak. Businesses had suffered huge losses.
Public transport to resume
On Saturday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the government is working on a plan to allow the public transport to resume operations once the current lockdown is over.
On March 29, the government raised the fares of all buses, including inter-district ones, by 60% as the vehicles are allowed to carry only half passengers of the total seats to ensure social distancing amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Covid-19 situation
Bangladesh recorded 83 more Covid-related deaths in 24 hours until Saturday morning, raising the total fatalities to 10,952.
Coronavirus fatalities crossed 10,000 on April 15 and the death tally came close to 11,000 within 10 days as the country finds it hard to deal with the pandemic.
Global Covid-19 cases top 146 million
More than 146 people have been found infected with Covid-19 globally with 3.09 million fatalities on Sunday, according to the Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
The total case count reached at 146, 091,986 while the death toll from the virus climbed to 3,096, 579 as of Sunday.
The US has now surpassed 32 million confirmed cases of Covid-19, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
Coronavirus cases nationwide reached 32,044,976 on Sunday. Covid-19 related deaths now total more than 571,922.
Brazil registered 3,076 more Covid-19-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing its death toll to 389,492, the country's Ministry of Health reported on Saturday.
According to the ministry, another 71,137 new cases were registered, bringing the country's caseload to 14,308,215.
Brazil is currently ranked second in the world in the number of deaths from Covid-19, surpassed only by the United States, and third in the world in the number of cases, behind the United States and India.
Also read: Covid situation in Bangladesh unlikely to improve before June: Experts
India has logged 16,610,481 cases while the death toll from the virus mounted to 189, 544.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh recorded 83 more Covid-related deaths in 24 hours until Saturday morning, raising the total fatalities to 10,952.
Bangladesh’s coronavirus fatalities crossed 10,000 on April 15 and the death tally reached near 11,000 within 10 days as the country finds it hard to deal with the pandemic.
With the latest figure, the mortality rate rose to 1.48 percent from Friday’s 1.47 percent, the Directorate General of Health Services said in a handout.
Also read: India records world's highest single-day spike in Covid cases
Besides, 2,697 new cases were detected during the period after examining 20,571 samples.
Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
With the news cases, the total caseload reached 742,400 while the total number of recoveries is 653,151, including 5477 in the last 24 hours.
The surge in Covid infections prompted the government to go for a lockdown from early April but it turned out to be lax and loose. From April 11, the government imposed a ‘stricter lockdown’ and later extended it up to April 28.
On Friday, the government allowed shopping malls to reopen from April 25.
Vaccination campaign
Launched on February 7, a vaccination drive is underway across Bangladesh with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Bangladesh signed an agreement with the Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd for 30 million doses of the vaccine. But a record number of cases in India has made the delivery of the vaccine doses uncertain.
On Thursday, Foreign Minister AK Momen assured people that there will be adequate doses of the vaccine.
So far, 5,778,686 people have received the first dose and 1,967,975 have got their second jab, according to official figures.
Mild to moderate heatwave to continue
Mild to moderate heatwave is sweeping over Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Rajshahi divisions and the region of Srimangal and it may continue and spread.
Weather is likely to remain dry with the partly cloudy sky over the country, met office said on Sunday.
About the synoptic situation, the Met office said a trough of westerly low lies over West Bengal and the adjoining area.
Weather is likely to remain dry with a partly cloudy sky over the country.
Also read: Mild to moderate heat wave sweeps over Dhaka, Barishal divisions
In a regular forecast, it said the day and night temperature may rise slightly over the country.
The maximum temperature of the country was recorded at 40 degrees Celsius in Jashore on Saturday.
Also read:Dry weather expected to continue
Dhaka’s maximum temperature was recorded 39.9 degrees Celsius, it added.
Chinese Defense Minister due Tuesday
Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe is scheduled to arrive here on a brief visit on Tuesday highlighting the "steady and rapid progress" in Bangladesh-China military cooperation in recent years.
"Yes, the Chinese Defense Minister Fenghe is coming," a senior official told UNB.
Bangladesh Chief of Army Staff General Aziz Ahmed visited China in November, 2019.
General Fenghe was appointed as the head of China's Ministry of National Defense at the 13th National People's Congress on March 19, 2018.
Also read: Maldives Foreign Minister due Monday
The Chinese Defense Minister is likely to meet President Abdul Hamid apart from his meeting with the Bangladesh Army Chief.
The visit is taking place when Bangladesh and China are in a discussion over Covid-19 vaccine cooperation.
Earlier this month, Chief of Army Staff of Indian Army Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane also visited Bangladesh.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has recently said he is willing to work with Bangladesh to further connect their development strategies, deepen practical cooperation across the board, and strive for new outcomes from the Bangladesh-China Strategic Partnership of Cooperation.
Also read: Modi due Friday as main attraction of 10-Day celebration
“China and Bangladesh are close neighbours and traditional friends. In recent years, China-Bangladesh relations enjoy a sound momentum of development, with strategic mutual trust being strengthened and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative pressing ahead,” he said in a message to his Bangladesh counterpart Abdul Hamid.
China’s Minister of Defence Fenghe is likely to go to Colombo, Sri Lanka from Dhaka on Tuesday before heading towards Beijing.
Benign Covid infection hasn't left Khaleda yet
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s second Covid-19 test report came out positive on Saturday, said her personal medical team member and BNP vice chairman Dr AZM Zahid Hossain.
“Madam (Khaleda) underwent the fresh corona test this afternoon. She tested positive for the virus as we received her report at night,” he said after visiting the BNP chief at her Gulshan residence.
Zahid, however, said the BNP chairperson's health condition is fine. "Madam is now doing well. She has no visible symptom of Covid-19.”
Also read: Khaleda undergoes fresh Covid test
He said Khaleda will undergo a further Covid test four-five days later.
It may be noted that since the thrice-former prime minister first tested positive for the virus on April 10, today's test result was to be expected, and absolutely normal. It's possible her doctors hoped to see something different given the clearly very strong immune response she generated, that has prevented almost all the complications associated with COVID-19 from being reported in her.
The physician said they will keep Khaleda under close observation though she has no complication relating to the virus.
Also read: Khaleda Zia infected with Covid-19
He said eight other people who were infected with the virus at Khaleda's residence also underwent the test today (Saturday) and five of them tested negative while the rest three positive for the virus.
Zahid said the health conditions of all of them are stable.
Earlier in the day, Khaleda’s personal physician Mohammad Al Mamun said the BNP chief underwent a fresh Covid-19 test today to know whether she has recovered as she has been doing well with no visible symptoms.
Also read: Nine infected with coronavirus at BNP chief Khaleda’s house
Talking to UNB, Mamun said Khaleda's medical team will make a decision about her next course of treatment once they receive her Covid-19 test report.
"We first arranged the test for eight others who were infected with the virus at Khaleda's residence in the morning, and then for Madam in the afternoon," he said.
Dr Zahid said Khaleda’s body temperature is normal. "Her breathing and oxygen saturation level are good."
Khaleda Zia underwent Covid-19 test on April 10 as eight people at her residence were infected with the virus and her report came positive.
BNP chairperson’s adviser Ziaur Rahman Khan dies of Covid
BNP Chairperson’s advisory council member and ex-MP Barrister Zaiur Rahman Khan died of coronavirus on Saturday night. He was 75.
Khan, also a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court, breathed his last around 10 pm at Impulse Hospital in the capital, said BNP assistant organising secretary Abdus Salam Azad.
He left behind wife, one daughter, one son and a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn his death.
Also read: Legendary Bengali poet Sankha Ghosh dies of Covid
Khan was elected MP from Dhaka-20 four times with BNP’s ticket.
His father Ataur Rahman Khan was the Chief Minister of East Pakistan from September 1956 to 1958 until the promulgation of martial law.
Also read: Ekushey Padak winning actor SM Mohsin dies of Covid-19
Ataur Rahman Khan was also the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 30, 1984 to January 1, 1985 during the rule of HM Ershad.
Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep shock at his death.
Expect more FDI from Japan, says envoy
Mentioning Bangladesh is a very attractive country for foreign investors, the Ambassador of Japan in Bangladesh Naoki Ito on Saturday said the Japanese big companies are very keen to invest more in the country’s special economic zones.
“The location of Bangladesh is very important strategically and economically. Around 300 Japanese companies are operating in Bangladesh. Many Japanese big companies including Mitsubishi will invest more in Bangladesh’s economic zones including Araihazar, Mirsarai and Matarbari,” Ambassador Ito said while addressing a webinar.
The virtual discussion was jointly organized by Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and Better Bangladesh Foundation (BBF) while BBF chairman Prof Masud A Khan moderated the function.
Naoki Ito said 50 percent of Japanese companies are going to invest in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Bangladesh is a regional hub for investment. The coronavirus has created vulnerability in supply chain. However, it’s time to invest in Bangladesh.
Also read: Japan confirms largest-ever loan package to Bangladesh
“Bangladesh is a potential country for investment. So infrastructure development is very important. Japan government has been supporting Bangladesh for long in this regard,” he also said.
Naoki added that Bangladesh can catch new markets in Asian countries including Japan and Korea with its diversified RMG products.
Planning Minister MA Mannan said the government has been working hard for better living. “Our economy is a win-win situation. We have made smooth places for investors. BIDA has opened one stop services to make services easy for all,” he also said.
Former Governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr Atiur Rahman positioned Bangladesh as a very good destination for investors. "The country has been able to develop in all sectors. There is no power cut now," the ex-head of the central bank pointed out.
Also read: Economic ties with Bangladesh to make leap: Japanese PM
“The major projects including Padma Bridge, Metro rail and Matarbari are game changers for the country. We need to skill up our youths. The country is an attractive destination for all investors,” he also said.
BIDA Executive chairman Sirazul Islam said they are trying to facilitate investment process for local and international investment.
“We have run one stop services to make hassle free activities. I believe that it will improve our ease of doing business rank. Our rank is 168 now that’s not good. We have recently reformed many things. I hope this position will improve much more in the upcoming ranking,” he added.
Sirazul also said they arrange all things for foreign investors such as receiving in airport, transportation and hotel services.
Also read: BIG-B important for Bangladesh, others with enhanced connectivity: Japanese economist
“With the experience, I am so excited about the services offered by BIDA, and 100% confident about Bangladeshi economy. Now, I am managing foreign investment here in Dhaka. I am willing to contribute what I have learnt from Harvard and China’s economic growth to Bangladesh. Indeed, I am willing to share my experience and stories to attract more young talents and investors to Bangladesh,” said Nicole Mao, one of the Chinese investors in Bangladesh.
Presenting key-note paper titled-“Bangladesh is a land of opportunities for trade and investment,” BIDA director Ariful Hoque said Bangladesh’s trade –GDP ratio has increased to 38 percent in 2018 from 18.9 percent in 1990.
“Bangladesh became the most gender-equal country in South Asia. Per capita income rises to $2079 in 2019 from $928 in 2010. Bangladesh achieved around 7 percent growth during the last decade,” he also said.
He added that 150 services of 34 agencies will be offered through One Stop Services (OSS). 41 services of 11 agencies are included from OSS.
Palestinian student studying in Bangladesh commits suicide in Gaza
A Palestinian student attending the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College in Faridpur is said to have killed himself while on a trip back home in Gaza.
The deceased was identified as Musa Abu Jami (22).
He took his own life in broad daylight in his hometown Gaza of Palestine on Friday.
Also read: For an Eid dress only
Faridpur Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College Chhatra League president Mashtura Mosharraf Rishika confirmed the suicide of the student, saying Musa Abu Jami, a third-year medical student, went home to Gaza, Palestine, a few days before the start of Ramadan.
She added that on Friday night, another Palestinian student at the medical college told her that Musa Abu Jami had committed suicide by hanging himself. However, she could not say the reason for his suicide.
Also read: Suspended Madrasa teacher kills himself in Narayanganj
Faridpur Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College Principal Prof. Mostafizur Rahman said that he had been informed of the sad and bitter news by the Palestinian Embassy in Dhaka on Friday.