Covid-19 lockdown
Bangladesh's daily Covid-19 death toll drops below 60
Bangladesh on Friday reported its single-day Covid-19 death toll of 57, the lowest in 25 days, even though the virus surge still remained at the disturbing level.
The new figure that came in the last 24 hours until Friday morning brought the country's total fatalities to 11,450 while health authorities reported 2,177 new cases during the period.
The infection rate rose to 10.34% from Thursday's 9.39% while the death rate remained static at 1.51%, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The country’s infection rate came down below 10% on Thursday after over a month, as it reported a 7.68% infection rate on March 17 and it rose to 10.45% the following day. Since then, the infection rate began an upward march.
The country recorded 52 coronavirus-related deaths on April 5, 78 on April 27, and 77 on April 28, showing a downtrend. It witnessed over 100 deaths during April 16-19 and on April 25.
With the latest figure, 7,59,132 cases have been detected so far in Bangladesh.
The number of recoveries now stands at 681,426, meaning 89.76% of the patients have recovered till now, the DGHS said.
Bangladesh has so far tested 5,469,704 samples, including 21,046 in the past 24 hours. The country reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
April, the fatal month
In the last 30 days, 23,889 cases of infections and more than 2,404 deaths were officially registered, making April the most fatal month since the outbreak began last year.
The virus claimed 568 lives in January this year, 281 in February and 638 in March.
Dhaka division remains the worst-hit region, registering most of the deaths – 6,686 or 58.39%.
Twenty-eight of the 57 deaths reported today are from Dhaka division and 13 from Chattogram division.
Lockdown extended till May 5
To break the Covid chain, the government enforced a nationwide lockdown in early April. Having failed to achieve the intended results, it imposed a strict lockdown on April 11 and then extended it up to April 28.
On Wednesday, the government issued a circular extending the lockdown up to May 5, as there is no improvement in the Covid-19 situation.
However, shops and shopping malls will remain open from 10am to 8pm during the period, the announcement said.
Vaccination
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses it purchased from India's Serum Institute.
The country signed an agreement with Serum for 30 million doses. But a record number of cases in India has made the delivery of the doses uncertain. The administering of the first dose remained suspended since Monday.
DGHS DG Prof ABM Khurshid Alam assured that Bangladesh will get 2.1 million doses of vaccine by the first week of May.
Vaccine production in Bangladesh
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved in principle a proposal for producing Russian and Chinese Covid-19 vaccines in Bangladesh.
The government on Thursday approved the emergency use of Sinopharm, a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine. It approved the emergency use of the Sputnik V Vaccine of Russia a day earlier.
"We'll get 5 lakh doses of the Chinese vaccine as a gift within 7-10 days. Then we'll start distribution. Then the government will start buying those on a G2G basis," Mahbubur Rahman, Director General of DGDA told reporters on Thursday.
Incepta Pharmaceuticals, Popular Pharma and HealthCare Pharma have the capacity of producing vaccines, and the Chinese vaccine could be produced locally, Mahbubur said.
On Thursday, Dr Shahida Aktar, additional secretary of the Cabinet Division noted that the government will purchase vaccine technology from Russian and China through the direct procurement method (DPM)
India's Covid crisis
The explosion of new Covid-19 cases is overwhelming Bangladesh's largest neighbour India, leaving millions of people infected and putting stress on the country's already overtaxed health care system.
With 386,452 new cases, India confirmed more than 18.7 million on Friday since the pandemic began, the second only to the US.
Its health ministry also reported 3,498 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 208,330. Experts said the actual figures were likely much higher but it is unclear by how much.
Months ago, India had appeared to be winning its battle against the pandemic. After a strict initial lockdown, the country did not see a surge in new cases and deaths compared to other countries.
But when the early restrictions were lifted, many people stopped taking precautions with large gatherings, political rallies and religious festivals being held at many places, drawing millions of people.
Bangladesh-India border sealed
On April 26, Bangladesh closed its border with India for any kind of movement except that of cargoes for the next 14 days as the coronavirus situation in the neighbouring country had gone out of control.
Extended lockdown: 10am to 1 pm banking hours to continue
Bangladesh Bank has further extended the currently maintained limited banking transaction hours until May 5 in compliance with the government’s decision to extend the strict lockdown for one week more.
According to a Bangladesh Bank circular, issued on Wednesday, the current banking transactions hours from 10 am to 1 pm will continue till May 5 in accordance with the Cabinet Division’s memo on this matter.
Earlier, Bangladesh Bank in a circular on April 13 said, instructed the banks to operate general transactions from 10 am to 1 pm and keep open until 2:30 pm for necessary works every working day until April 21 and then it was extended until April 28.
Normally, banks operate from 10 am to 4 pm everyday.
Also read: Bangladesh extends lockdown until May 5
The new circular also said that all other instructions will remain unchanged as per the circular of April 13 where it was said that banks can keep one non-AD branch open within 2 km radius in the city corporation areas and in upazila level one branch of each bank can open on Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday.
The banks have to take measures to provide transport facilities for the staff during the period.
The BB circular also said, during the banking transaction hours, the banks have to ensure different kinds of services including clearing of cheques, withdrawal and deposits of money, money transfer, release of remittance, encashment of different instruments and also receipt of the payments of bills of different utilities.
BB said banks have to continue services like disbursement of loans, incentives, payment of salaries of different industries and also the purchase of export bills, loan sanction and distribution.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh sees 77 deaths, new cases 2,955
The banks have to follow instructions in keeping the branches located in the port areas about the coronavirus in discussion with the local administration and other authorities, as per circular issued on August 5 last year, it said.
The banks have to operate their activities through limited staffs under a roster system.
They have to ensure operation of the ATM booths to facilitate transaction through cards by supply of adequate cash in the machines while the evening banking and weekly holiday banking activities will remain closed until further order, said the circular, said the circular issued on April 13.
As lockdown eases, people find their way around restrictions
Although the government in a fresh move extended the ongoing lockdown period from April 28 to May 5, the gradual easing of the lockdown conditions has been accompanied by people in the capital becoming more inclined to move about.
A rapid increase in Covid infections prompted the government to enforce a lockdown from early April which failed to achieve the intended result.
Later, the government went for a strict lockdown from April 11 and extended it to April 28.
Also read: Lockdown to be extended up to May 5: State Minister
On Monday, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain said the lockdown would be extended till May 5 as there is no improvement of the Covid-19 situation.
However, shopping malls opened this week and will remain open from 10am to 8pm during the extended period, he said.
Parts of Dhaka presented the old picture of congestion and chaos on Tuesday, even as the country reported 78 more coronavirus-related deaths and 3,031 new cases of Covid-19.
Also read: Covid-19: Bangladesh records 78 deaths, 3,031 new cases
A UNB photojournalist captured the scenes around the busy Gulistan area on the day.
Lockdown climbdown: 10am-9pm for shopping confirmed
Shops and shopping malls will be allowed to remain open from 10am to 9pm instead of earlier-announced 5pm amid the lockdown enforced by the government to contain the transmission of Covid-19.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md Shariful Islam confirmed the matter.
Earlier on April 23, Cabinet Division issued a notice permitting shops and malls to reopen from April 25 maintaining proper safety protocols.
Also read: Pandemic in Bangladesh: Shops, malls reopen doors
The second phase of lockdown started on April 22 and is supposed to continue until April 28.
Earlier on April 5, public transports, shops and shopping malls were directed to remain shut in capital Dhaka as the country started a 7-day lockdown.
Talking to UNB, local and international health experts, however, predicted Bangladesh is unlikely to see any improvement in the Covid-19 situation before June next as the country is still in the grip of its second wave.
Also read: 'Strict’ lockdown again if health rules violated: Quader
Using a mathematical model, Bangladesh Como Modelling Group, a group of experts from both Bangladesh and Oxford University, also projected that the country will witness the similar infection rate intermittently till the end of May while the situation may improve in June.
Meanwhile, after a slight fall for several days, Bangladesh’s daily coronavirus death toll crossed the 100-mark again on Sunday with a sharp fall in new cases.
Also read: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Daily deaths shoot past 100; new cases fall dramatically
Fatalities climbed to 11,053 with 101 deaths in the past 24 hours until the morning. The virus also infected 2,922 people, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in a handout.
Bangladesh has so far confirmed 745,322 coronavirus cases.
Border with India to remain shut for 14 days: FM
Bangladesh has decided to close its border with India for any kind of movement except that of cargoes for the next 14 days from Monday (April 26, 2021) to control the spread of the deadly Coronavirus.
"Yes, but the movement of cargoes carrying goods will continue," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told UNB over the phone on Sunday.
The decision taken against the backdrop of the worsening covid-19 situation will become effective from 6am on Monday.
As per the decision, general movements of humans between Bangladesh and India will temporarily stay suspended through the land ports.
The Bangladeshi citizens currently travelling to India for treatment and having visas with validity for less than 15 days could enter Bangladesh through only Benapole, Akhaura and Burimari after taking permission from Bangladesh Missions in New Delhi, Kolkata, and Agartala and with a mandatory Covid-negative certificate done through PCR test within seventy-two hours of entry.
Also read: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Daily deaths shoot past 100; new cases fall dramatically
People entering Bangladesh through this process would have to stay officially quarantined for two weeks.
Except for the aforementioned three land ports, all kinds of human movements through all other land ports between the two countries would completely stay suspended for two weeks.
The vehicles carrying imported goods from India would have to be properly sterilised before entering Bangladesh borders.
The drivers and helpers concerned would have to observe the Covid-19 safety protocol strictly.
Railroads will be encouraged for export and import of goods between the two countries in this period.
Also read: Shutting border with India: Experts praise it as prudent decision
Bangladesh Missions in New Delhi, Kolkata and Agartala would convey the relevant information in this regard to the authorities concerned in India in the light of the friendly relations between the two countries.
The above decisions will be in effect for two weeks and will be revised in due time, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The decisions have been taken in an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by the Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary) Masud Bin Momen and attended by High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India; Secretary, Security Services Division, Ministry of Home Affairs; Secretary (East), Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Additional Secretary, Cabinet Division; and representatives of PMO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Commerce, BGB and Bangladesh Missions in Kolkata and Agartala.
Bangladesh is operating special flights to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Singapore to facilitate departure of expatriate workers to those countries.
India’s crematoriums and burial grounds are being overwhelmed by the devastating new surge of infections tearing through the populous country with terrifying speed, depleting the supply of life-saving oxygen to critical levels and leaving patients to die while waiting in line to see doctors, reports AP from New Delhi.
Also read: India's COVID-19 tally nearing 17 mln
For the fourth straight day, India on Sunday set a global daily record for new infections, spurred by an insidious, new variant that emerged here, undermining the government’s premature claims of victory over the pandemic.
The 349,691 confirmed cases over the past day brought India’s total to more than 16.9 million, behind only the United States.
The Indian Health Ministry reported another 2,767 deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing India’s Covid-19 fatalities to 192,311.
Experts say that toll could be a huge undercount, as suspected cases are not included, and many deaths from the infection are being attributed to underlying conditions, according to AP.
Writ filed challenging legality of lockdown
A writ petition was filed with the High Court (HC) on Sunday challenging the legality of the ongoing countrywide lockdown enforced by the government to contain the transmission of Coronavirus.
Supreme Court Advocate Yunus Ali Akand filed the writ petition .
The bench of Justice M. Enayetur Rahim and Justice Sardar Md. Rashed Jahangir may hear the writ petition on Monday.
Yunus Ali Akand said the government can’t halt citizens’ basic rights like people’s movement without imposing a state of emergency.
The ongoing lockdown has violated citizens’ basic right mentioned in section 27, 28, 31, 33, 35 and 36 of the Constitution, he said.
The writ also sought a stay on the lockdown and directive not to enforce any lockdown in the future, he added.
Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Daily deaths shoot past 100; new cases fall dramatically
After a slight fall for several days, Bangladesh’s daily coronavirus death toll crossed the 100-mark again on Sunday with a sharp fall in new cases.
Fatalities climbed to 11,053 with 101 deaths in the past 24 hours until the morning. The virus also infected 2,922 people, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in a handout.
The daily infection rate rose to 13.33 percent from Saturday’s 13.11 percent while the mortality rate remained static at 1.48 percent.
Bangladesh has so far confirmed 745,322 coronavirus cases.
Also read: Border with India to remain shut for 14 days: FM
Between April 16 and 19, the country recorded over 100 deaths, breaking all previous records. The country registered 91, 95 and 98 Covid-related deaths on April 20, 21 and 22 respectively.
On April 23 ad 24, the number fell to 88 and 83.
Bangladesh has so far tested 5,345,501 samples, including 21,922 in the last 24 hours.
From the margins to frontliners: Trans volunteers step up
The strict lockdown imposed countrywide from April 14 to put a leash on the soaring transmission of Covid-19 in Bangladesh will stay in force till at least April 28.
As boundless agonies of marginal income earners become more evident every day, some of them have taken the initiative to turn the table on the face of crisis by volunteering as frontline workers providing critical and emergency services during the pandemic.
Also read: Bangladesh’s Covid death toll nears 11,000 as cases surge
A UNB photojournalist had the opportunity to witness one such extremely vulnerable group – who identify as third gender or transgender – hard at work to earn their keep, even as the lockdown presents a whole new set of risks and dilemmas.
Many of them depend entirely on irregular incomes from daily work in the informal sector. But many have lost their basic income source as the lockdowns come down particularly hard on informal work.
Also read: Govt issues circular extending lockdown until April 28
Brought together by Brihonnola, a platform for the transgender community, these volunteers have stepped forward to fill a critical gap serving Covid-19 patients and their families, fully aware that the risk of infection is far greater in such settings.
The photos were taken as they went about their work at Dhaka Medical College Hospital's Covid-19 unit.
Also read: Transgender community members hold cleanup campaign at DU
Dhaka’s air quality improved in lockdown, a blessing in disguise!
The air quality of Dhaka city has made a marked improvement by some 45pc on average a day during the first seven days of the Covid-19 lockdown due to the low level of emissions.
According to a survey conducted by Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) of Stamford University Bangladesh, four reasons effectively worked behind the strange improvement in the air quality.
Read Dhaka keeps grappling with ‘hazardous’ air
It said low traffic flow, suspension of road renovation and construction works and lack of activities to burn wastes led to the improvement in the air quality though it is said to be a short-lived gain.
Even the air pollution declined by 70pc in some areas in the city during the April 14-21 period, the survey says.
Read No respite from pollution as Dhaka’s air quality still ‘unhealthy’
The survey was carried out under a project titled “Promoting Democratic Governance and Collective Advocacy for Environmental Protection in Dhaka City” with financial support from USAID and UKAid.
As part of the survey, the air quality was measured using automatic equipment for eight hours a day in 10 areas of the capital.
Also read: Dhaka is world's most polluted city
The measurement showed that the air quality has improved on average 45pc a day from April 14 to 21 last.
Online Eid Fair: UNDP-backed online marketplace teams up with Joyeeta Foundation
"Anondomela" an online marketplace initiated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for small and medium enterprises, has partnered with Joyeeta Foundation to organise the largest online fair for Eid during the COVID pandemic.
Anondomela Facebook page (facebook.com/anondomelashop) will remain active for the fair from April 24 to May 6, from 8 am to 8 pm, with an array of clothing, jewellery, home decor, food items and other knick-knacks from women-led small and medium enterprises, according to a UNDP press release.
Anondomela was launched by UNDP in April 2020 as an online marketplace for SMEs struggling to make sales amid the pandemic.
Read Retailers brace for flood of returns from online shopping
"Our initiative aims to ease the pressure that the Covid-19 crisis has put on these very small and largely informal entrepreneurs, at a time when most feel naturally inclined to demonstrate more social solidarity and care during the holy month," said Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh Sudipto Mukerjee.
Joyeeta Foundation is a long-running initiative of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. The foundation empowers women entrepreneurs and artisans by creating a secure channel for them to showcase and sell their products.
"During this ongoing crisis in Bangladesh, when our entrepreneurs are struggling to survive, we are glad to be organising this online fair that will give them an opportunity to sell their products to a large audience. This online fair is part of our continuous efforts to come to people's aid in their time of need," said Joyeeta Foundation's Managing Director Afroza Khan.
Read Walton offers big discounts on online purchases
The online fair will have five 30-minute slots that will be divided among entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs can post details about their products and directly connect with buyers.
They can also promote their businesses through this opportunity.
Interested SMEs are encouraged to join Anondomela as a seller to participate in the fair. Their products can be delivered seamlessly through 'ekshop' delivery.
Read Lockdown: Shops, shopping malls to reopen from Apr 25