UNDP took the initiative in a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the local administration and Khulna University’s Pharmacy Department.

Md Iqbal Hossain, Deputy Director, Local Government, Khulna District Administration and District Facilitator of UNDP’s Efficient and Accountable Local Governance (EALG) Project coordinated the initiative, UNDP said in a statement.

Explaining its urgency, Hossain said officials and employees at all levels of the district administration have been working hard to ensure public service, including distribution of relief, to protect people from coronavirus.

COVID-19 has put Bangladesh into an unforeseen challenging situation that led the government to ask for shutdown of all economic activities except emergency services and urge people to restrict mobility and stay at home.

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“These sanitisers and safety kits have been provided to ensure the safety of front-line people providing COVID-19 response support and also all officers and employees involved with the district-wise relief programme under the direction of the Deputy Commissioner,” said Mohammad Helal Hossain, Khulna’s Deputy Commissioner.

He thanked UNDP for providing the kits to the local administration.

The sanitisers, produced by the department’s teachers and students following World Health Organisation’s guidelines, along with soaps, masks and hand gloves were distributed among local government agencies.

Nuri Tasmin Urmi, Assistant Commissioner, Local Government, expressed gratitude to Dr Ashish Kumar, head of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Khulna University, his colleagues and students for successful manufacturing of sanitisers at the local level with his 25-strong team comprised of five teachers and 20 students.

So far 6,000 100mm sanitiser bottles have been distributed.

The safety kits were sent to the concerned offices by the district administration's vehicle to avoid gatherings.