lockdown
Cumilla Victoria College campus turns into den of drug dealing, sex workers amid closure due to pandemic
The Cumilla Victoria College campus has been closed for over a year due to the pandemic.
About 25,000 students study in 22 departments of the degree branch of Comilla Victoria Government College. Poet Nazrul Islam Hostel and Nawab Faizunnesa Hall provide residential facilities to thousands of students. Besides, several thousand students live in rented houses in Dharmapur area.
But the closed campus and dormitories are now a den for drug addicts and sex workers. Disregarding police patrols during the lockdown, drug dealers roam the college campus to sell drugs.
Read:Covid claims 10 more lives, infects 451 others in 24 hours in Cumilla
The closed dormitories are occupied by sex workers and drug addicts during night time. College authorities say a police outpost in Dharmapur is needed to solve the problem.
According to several reliable sources, outsiders enter the Kandirpar Higher Secondary Branch of the college by scaling the the walls at night and stay there taking drugs. Sex workers enter the closed building of the New Hostel in the dark of night.
Drug addicts gather regularly behind the septic tanks and the toilets of the degree branch examination building and Zia Auditorium, in front of the Motaher Hossain Central Library building, on the ground floor of Kotha Bhaban, and in some special rooms of Science Bhaban-2.
Easing lockdown, a wrong decision: BNP
BNP on Tuesday termed the government’s decision to relax the lockdown for a week ahead of Eid-ul-Azha a wrong one and warned that it will contribute to further deterioration in the Covid situation.
“The government has been making wrong decisions one after another to hide its failures. This decision (easing lockdown) will only worsen the situation further,” said BNP organising secretary Syed Emran Saleh Prince.
Read: Bangladesh eases lockdown restrictions ahead of Eid
Talking to reporters after distributing food among people in front of BNP’s Nayaplatan central office and its adjacent areas, he also said had the government enforced a strict lockdown by providing low-income people with food and cash support after Eid-ul-Fitr and brought vaccines for all, the lockdown would not have needed.
Prince alleged that people are falling into catastrophic situations repeatedly due to the failures of the government and its wrong decisions.
He alleged that most of the steps taken by the government to tackle the corona pandemic were against people. “They’ve completely failed to deal with the situation.”
Read: Govt likely to ease lockdown for 8 days from July 15 to July 22
The BNP leader said their party has repeatedly been saying that lockdowns or curfews will not work unless the needy and low-income people and those who live from hand-to-mouth are given necessary money and food support. “Now that has been proved right.”
He demanded the government give one-time assistance of Tk 15,000 to the marginalised people.
Earlier, the party leaders distributed food among the poor and disadvantaged group of people to ease their sufferings amid the countrywide lockdown.
Read:604 people held in city during lockdown
Party standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan inaugurated the programme at its Nayapaltan central office.
Prince said Jatiyatabadi Nagorik Samaj, a platform of BNP, arranged the food distribution programme as many people are going through serious sufferings due to the ongoing lockdown enforced by the government in an unplanned way.
Govt announces 5 new stimulus packages for low-income people
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday announced five new packages, involving Tk 3200 crore, to assist people with little income or no income.
These packages will be used to assist the low-income group of people who have been hit hard by the restrictions imposed due to the ongoing lockdown amid the alarming spread of coronavirus, said a PMO media release signed by PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim.
Read:Help achieve green recovery of CVF-V20 countries: Hasina to developed nations
Of the total amount, Tk 450 crore will be given to 1437,389 day-labourers, 235,033 transport workers, 50,445 small businesspeople and 1,603 shipping workers. Some 1724,740 people will get Tk 2,500 each.
To assist the low-income group of people living in urban areas, the government will conduct a special 14-day open market sale (OMS) from July 25 to August 7 across the country through 813 centres.
For this, the media release said, 20,000 mt of rice and 14,000 mt of flour worth Tk 150 crire have been allocated.
Read: Stimulus packages: Experts, stakeholders for speedy disbursement to CMSMEs
Johnson: England to lift last virus restrictions on July 19
All remaining lockdown restrictions in England will be lifted in a week despite a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Monday. He said it was “the right moment to proceed” as schools close for summer vacation but urged people to “proceed with caution.”
Johnson said although risks of the pandemic remain, legal restrictions will be replaced by a recommendation that people wear masks in crowded places and on public transport. Nightclubs and other venues with crowds should use vaccine passports for entry “as a matter of social responsibility,” he added.
“This pandemic is not over. This disease, coronavirus, continues to carry risks for you and your family. We cannot simply revert instantly from Monday July 19 to life as it was before COVID,” Johnson said.
The final stage of easing England’s lockdown means that all restrictions on social gatherings will be removed and social distancing measures will be scrapped. Nightclubs can reopen for the first time since March last year, and there will no longer be limits on people attending concerts, theaters, weddings or sports events.
READ: Mumbai imposes strict virus restrictions as infections surge
Earlier, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it was the right time to allow Britons a chance to return to normal life. The government’s decision balances the harms brought by COVID-19 and damage done by continued restrictions, he said.
Javid told Parliament that Britain’s successful vaccine rollout means that nine out of 10 adults in the U.K. now have antibodies against the virus. The government is on track to meet its target of offering all adults a first vaccine dose by July 19, the day when all remaining lockdown restrictions, including mandatory mask-wearing, are to be lifted.
As of Monday, 87% of the U.K.’s adult population have had their first dose, and 66% have had both doses. At the same time infections have soared in recent weeks, running at over 30,000 new cases daily, driven by the delta variant.
Javid said while new infections could reach 100,000 a day later in the summer, two doses of the vaccine offer effective protection against serious illness from the virus and officials believe the surge in cases will not put “unsustainable pressure” on hospitals.
READ: France to announce new virus restrictions in Paris region
Waiting any longer to lift restrictions will risk having the virus spread peak in the autumn and winter, when children return to school and hospitals are most likely to be overwhelmed by seasonal infections, Javid and Johnson said.
“There will never be a perfect time to take this step, because we simply cannot eradicate this virus — whether we like it or not, coronavirus is not going away,” Javid said.
Many of the infections have occurred among younger people who have yet to receive a first dose of vaccine. The government has no plans yet to offer vaccines to children under 18.
The British government believes that the vaccine rollout has mostly severed the link between infections and those needing hospitalization. The numbers of people requiring hospitalization or dying from COVID-19 have stayed low and broadly stable, though they have been edging up in recent days.
Still, concerns over the rapid increase in cases has piled pressure on the government to take a more cautious approach over lifting restrictions.
Jonathan Ashworth, the health spokesperson for the opposition Labour Party, said Javid’s plan was akin to “pushing his foot down on the accelerator while throwing the seat belts off.” And Stephen Griffin, associate professor at Leeds University’s school of medicine, called the move an irresponsible gamble.
“I am dumbfounded by the notion that public health can be left to individual choice when, in the case of infectious disease it is, in fact, the epitome of collective responsibility,” Griffin said. “Government messaging on restrictions currently amounts to an outright oxymoron by urging caution whilst simultaneously allowing all guidance to be lifted.”
Peter Openshaw, a member of a group that advises the government on new and emerging respiratory viruses, said it was vital to keep some protective measures in place, such as wearing masks.
“I really don’t see why people are reluctant to wear face coverings, it is quite clear that they do greatly reduce transmission,” he told BBC radio. “Vaccines are fantastic but you have to give them time to work.”
READ: Europe adopts tougher virus restrictions as infections surge
The British government, which enforced one of the longest lockdowns in the world, has lifted restrictions for England in a series of steps that began with reopening schools in March. The fourth and final stage was delayed last month to provide time for more people to be vaccinated amid the rapid spread of the delta variant.
Other parts of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — are following their own, broadly similar, road maps out of lockdown.
604 people held in city during lockdown
In their bid to strictly enforce restrictions police arrested 604 people in the capital for alleged violation of a 14-day lockdown on its 12th day Monday.
The arrestees were out on the streets violating restrictions, said DMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (media) Iftekharul Islam.
Meanwhile, mobile courts collected Tk 2,63,900 as fines from 168 rules breakers.
READ: Govt likely to ease lockdown for 8 days from July 15 to July 22
During this time, the Traffic Division collected Tk 15,62,000 from 727 vehicles as penalties for failing to comply with coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Bangladesh is currently under a 14-day lockdown imposed to tame an alarming surge in the Covid infections across the country.
Started on July 1 the nationwide strict lockdown will continue until July 14 midnight.
READ: Lockdown Breaches: 708 arrested, Tk 5.5 lakh fined on day 11
Meanwhile, both Covid cases and fatalities continue to rage across the country.
Govt likely to ease lockdown for 8 days from July 15 to July 22
The ongoing ‘strict lockdown’ may be eased from July 15 to July 22, said a handout of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
The handout said the Cabinet division will issue a notification in this regard. However, the strict lockdown may be reinforced from July 23, it added.
A record rise in the number of Covid cases and fatalities in recent days prompted the government to go for the lockdown.
Also read: Train services to be on from July 15-22: Minister
The nationwide strict lockdown, first imposed for a week until July 7 midnight, has now been extended for another week until July 14 midnight as the Covid infection rate keeps surging across the country.
Also read: 604 people held in city during lockdown
Lockdown Breaches: 708 arrested, Tk 5.5 lakh fined on day 11
Police arrested 708 people and fined Tk 5,52,500 from vehicles in the capital for lockdown breaches on the eleventh day, Sunday.
The arrestees were out on the streets violating restrictions, said DMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (media) Iftekharul Islam.
Meanwhile, mobile courts collected Tk 5,38,680 as fines from 184 people.
Also read: Breaching Lockdown: 585 arrested, Tk 8.9 lakh realised in fines
During this time, the Traffic Division collected Tk 5,52,500 as penalties from 244 vehicles for failing to comply with coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Bangladesh is currently under a 14-day lockdown imposed to tame an alarming surge in the Covid infections across the country.
Also read: Lockdown Breaches: 1077 arrested as more people defy restrictions
Started on July 1 the nationwide strict lockdown will continue till July 14 midnight.
Meanwhile, both Covid cases and fatalities continue to hit new records.
Youth commits suicide as lockdown leaves him jobless, says family
A 26-year-old man, who lost his job at a factory in capital Dhaka due to Covid-induced lockdown, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room early hours of Sunday with family members and police suspecting he committed suicide.
Khokon Hossain returned a dejected man at his Bashbari village of Rajshahi's Puthia upazila, after he lost his job during the ongoing lockdown.
On Sunday morning family members found Khokon's door shut and there was no response from inside to their calls. His father found him hanging as he looked through a window. Later the family members broke into his room and recovered the body.
Also read: Covid patient ‘commits suicide’ in Satkhira
It was learned that Khokon worked for a factory in Dhaka and returned home after losing his job during the lockdown. After he lost his job, his wife left him over a family dispute.Khokon's father said he was frustrated for these all and might have committed suicide for the situation.
The couple has a child too, he said.
Also read: Chuadanga cattle trader 'commits suicide' over Covid stigma
Officer-in-charge Sohorawardy Hossain said it was suspected to be a case of suicide but the body was not sent for autopsy as per wishes of the family.However, an unnatural death case was filed, he said.
Auto-rickshaw workers seek PM’s intervention to overcome their hardships
Auto-rickshaw and light vehicle drivers have demanded that the government provides them emergency food and cash support to their families facing serious hardships due to nationwide 'strict nationwide lockdown'.
In a statement on Saturday, Abul Hossain and Golam Faruk, President and General Secretary of the Bangladesh Auto-Rickshaw Light Vehicle Transport Workers Federation (BALTWF) respectively, said the lockdown has left them without any work and earning.
Also read: Auto-rickshaw, light vehicles workers demand food, cash support amid 'lockdown'
The BALTF leaders said they have already made appeals to different concerned government offices seeking cash and food support for the unemployed and unfed workers.
“Even, we made our appeals through a press conference on June 28 in the city”, the BALTWF leaders said.
Also read: Auto-rickshaw drivers, light vehicle workers demand food support
Transport workers are mainly day labourers. Their income has now totally stopped. “The transport workers feel that hunger is more critical for their lives than the Coronavirus.”
“We need livelihoods to save our lives. That’s why we seek Prime Minister’s intervention to ensure cash and food support for the transport workers”, said the BALTWF statement.
Authorities disperse an illegal cattle market in Panchagarh
Authorities evicted a crowded cattle market that was set up in Rajnagar upazila of Panchagarh district Thursday defying a ban imposed to curb the spread of Covid infections.
Two people, known to be assistant of a lease holder, were fined Tk. one lakh for their involvement in organising the haat, which saw a huge turnout of cattle and traders in violation of Covid-19 health guidelines.
The Panchagarh District Administrative has recently ordered all cattle markets closed in five upazilas to curb the spread of the virus.
The two men admitted that they had set up the cattle market after getting verbal approval from the UP chairman and the Municipal mayor.