Covid-19 lockdown
Lockdown just ‘eyewash’, says BNP
BNP on Tuesday alleged that the government is deceiving the people of the country in the name of lockdown.
"It's not (lockdown) workable. There’s a lockdown in Dhaka officially. Do you see the lockdown anywhere? I can't see the lockdown anywhere,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir he told reports at a press conference.
The BNP leader said people are moving here and there as they wish amid the lockdown. “I saw the day before yesterday a marriage ceremony being held at a hotel, though it’s banned. The government is completely reluctant about it. They’re deceiving people in the name of lockdown --just eyewash.”
BNP arranged the press conference at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office to disclose the outcome of its standing committee meeting held on Saturday.
Fakhrul said the members of law enforcement agencies are supposed to enforce the lockdown, but they have no visible role in this regard.
He alleged that the government has been demonstrating its failures in containing the virus from the very beginning.
Also read: Govt gradually becoming a ‘monster’: BNP
The BNP leader said though their party and experts gave the government some specific suggestions to control the virus outbreak, it did not act accordingly.
He said their party standing committee urged the government to lay out a roadmap for the collection and distribution of Covid vaccines. “People want to know what steps the government is taking to deal with the Covid situation.”
Fakhrul accused the government of hatching a conspiracy with its move to shift the NID Card service to the Home Ministry from the Election Commission. “It’s an ill-motivated step. We condemn such a move and urge the government to stay away from it.”
He said the NID service should remain under the Election Commission since it has a relation with elections.
Also read: Corruption amid pandemic making life miserable: BNP
Referring to UNCTAD report, Fakhrul said foreign direct investment (FDI) in Bangladesh has declined by about 11 per cent in 2020 for lack of an investment-friendly atmosphere due to “corruption, extortion and misrule”.
He said the pharmaceutical sector in Bangladesh has huge potential for manufacturing Covid vaccines, but the government is not interested in it. “We think all necessary steps should be taken immediately to produce vaccines in Bangladesh and create a proper atmosphere for increasing foreign investment.”
The BNP leader voiced concerns over the recent rise in the price of edible* oil by Tk 38 per litre in the last six months, causing unbearable sufferings to ordinary and unemployed people.
“The Commerce Minister has said there’s no possibility of reducing the oil price. It can’t be accepted in any way. The minister should resign shouldering the responsibility for the government's failure to control the prices of essential commodities,” he said.
Covid-19: Bangladesh reports 76 more deaths, 4,846 fresh cases
As the Coronavirus situation continues to worsen in Bangladesh creating new hotspots outside capital Dhaka, health authorities logged 4,846 more new cases with a positivity rate of 19.36% in 24 hours until Tuesday morning.
The positivity rate in the country rose to 19.36% from Monday’s 19.27 percent, said a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Besides, the deadly virus claimed the lives of 76 more people during the 24-hour period, bringing the national tally to 13,702.
The fresh cases pushed up the total caseload to 8,61,150, the handout added.
However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.59%.
So far, 788,385 people have recovered from the virus infections with 2903 new ones, taking the recovery rate to 91.55%.
Of the fresh cases, 1,967 were detected in Dhaka, 998 in Khulna and 763 in Rajshahi, divisions, the three regions that showed the highest infections during the 24-hour period.
Of the deceased, 14 were reported from Dhaka, 14 from Rajshahi, 27 from Khulna, 10 from Chattogram, six from Rangpur, two from Barishal and three from Sylhet divisions. No death was reported from Mymensingh division.
Also read: Covid antibody higher among Dhaka slum dwellers: icddr,b
Suspension of bus services
No long-distance bus was allowed to leave or enter capital Dhaka on Tuesday as the government enforced tougher restrictions in an effort to beat the deadly Coronavirus.
The decision to suspend the bus services was taken on Monday night after announcing a strict lockdown in seven adjacent districts of Dhaka to stop the transmission of Coronavirus amid rising infections in different districts, as it is believed to have been caused by Delta variant.
The districts are Narayanganj, Gazipur, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Madaripur, Rajbari and Gopalganj districts.
The movement of long-haul buses on Dhaka-Chattogram highway remained halted as Narayanganj went under lockdown.
The lockdown in the seven districts will remain in force until June 30 midnight.
Suspension of vessel movement
Authorities have suspended the movement of all passenger vessels in Narayanganj, Gazipur, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Madaripur, Rajbari and Gopalganj from Tuesday morning.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) announced its decision to suspend the movement of launches, speedboats and trawlers on Monday, following the Cabinet Division’s circular on the imposition of lockdown in seven districts.
Also read: Hasina suggests 6 points for framing post-Covid global recovery plan
Vaccine rollout
Bangladesh on Monday started administering the first doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at three centers in Dhaka to fight off Covid-19.
On May 27, the government approved the emergency use of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in the country.
Bangladesh on Saturday started administering Sinopharm vaccine doses across the country.
The vaccination started in the capital and elsewhere in the country with 11 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine gifted by China, said the DGHS.
Bangladesh is now administering the 1st doses of Sinopharm and Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and also the second dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
As of now, 5,225 people received the first dose of China’s Sinopharm vaccine, including 1,505 in the past 24 hours.
Of the Astrazeneca vaccine doses, 4,273,325 received the second shot and 5,820,015 the first one so far.
Indefinite lockdown in Magura city and Mohammadpur Upazila from Sunday
Authorities announced an indefinite lockdown for Magura city and Mohammadpur Upazila effective from 6 pm Sunday amid a surge in the corona virus infections.
The announcement came from Magura Deputy Commissioner Dr Ashraful Alam and Mohammadpur Upazila Nirbahi Office on Sunday.
The decision came after 17 people tested positive with Covid-19 in 53 sample tests as of Sunday.
Also read: Covid pandemic: Situation in Bangladesh worsening, 47 more die
According to the announcement, all the public transport services except emergency ones will remain suspended during the period.
Besides, all shops and shopping malls were ordered to remain shut except food and medicine stores.
Also read: Second consignment of Sinopharm vaccine arrives
Until now 1326 Covid cases were detected in the district after 8357 sample tests, said Civil Surgeon Dr Shahidullah Dewan.
Also 24 Coronavirus related deaths were logged while 1,222 got cured of it.
Covid-19: Bangladesh registers 43 more deaths; positivity rate hits 11.03%
As Coronavirus-related deaths and infections keep growing in Bangladesh again, the country recorded 43 more deaths in the past 24 hours till Saturday morning.
Besides, 1,447 new cases were registered during the period, taking the country's caseload to 809,314.
With the latest death toll, the total number of fatalities rose to 12,801.
The daily infection rate climbed to 11.03% from Friday's 10.40% while the mortality rate remained static at 1.58%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The new cases were detected after testing 13,115 samples.
Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions saw the highest fatalities during the period with 12 deaths each while Chattogram division witnessed eight deaths, Khulna five, Rangpur three, Mymensingh two and Sylhet one.
Of the deceased, 30 were men while 13 women.
Of them, one was below 10 years, one in his 20s, five are 30 years old, two of 40, 13 are of 50 old and 21 are above 60 years.
READ: 1st USAID consignment of Covid-19 response relief on way to Bangladesh
However, 749,425 patients have recovered so far, keeping the country’s recovery rate at 92.60%.
Bangladesh reported its first Covid cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
6 Noakhali unions set for 7-day special lockdown at dawn
The district administration has announced a 7-day special lockdown in six Noakhali unions on Friday to break the surge in Covid transmission.
The unions are - Noyannai, Binodpur, Qadir Hanif, Neyazpur, Ashwadia and Noakhali.( Noakhali Sadar upazila, Noakhali Municipality)
The restrictions come into effect at 6am on Saturday, and remain in place till 11 June.
Read:Lockdown in 7 villages of Chuadanga
Md Khorshed Alam, deputy commissioner of Noakhali revealed it to the press on Friday following a meeting of the district Corona prevention committee.
Around 589 people tested positive for Covid-19 and four succumbed to death in the last seven days in the district.
Lockdown in districts
Apart from Noakhali district administrations of frontier districts including Rajshahi, Khulna, Satkhira and parts of Naogaon have imposed lockdown and restrictions to stop the spike in Covid cases.
Read: Satkhira put under 7-day strict lockdown
District administrations have been given the authority to enforce lockdown in their areas if the Covid-19 situation deteriorates there.
IEDCR study of 50 samples finds 40 are Delta
Delta, the Coronavirus variant first found in India, turned out to be 80% of some 50 genomes sequenced in Bangladesh since May 16 by IEDCR. There is also evidence of community transmission of the variant, according to research jointly carried out by IEDCR and IDSHI.
The study also identified one "unknown variant" and found 8 of the samples (16%) to be infected with the South African variant.
IEDCR and IDSHI collected and analysed 50 samples from across the country, including border districts and the capital since May 16.
The research also found 40 out of the total 50 cases as Delta variant, known as Indian variant, in samples collected from Chapainawabganj, Gopalganj, Khulna, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Bagerhat, Jhenaidah and Pirojpur.
Also read: Indian Variant: The New Concern
Also, among the 40 patients, eight were tested positive after returning from India while 18 others came in contact with overseas returnees although they did not travel abroad.
Meanwhile, among the samples collected, 14 infected people neither went abroad nor came in contact with people with travel history. So, it is clear that the Indian variant is being transmitted at the community level inside the country, the research said.
On May 8, the Indian variant was detected in Bangladesh for the first time. All of the infected people returned from the neighbouring country.
The "highly contagious" Indian Delta variant was first detected in October last year. The World Health Organization labelled it a "variant of concern."
Also read: 8 Indian variant cases identified in Jashore
Covid-19: Strict restrictions imposed in Rajshahi, parts of Khulna, Naogaon
The local administration of some of the border districts have imposed strict restrictions for seven days to check the transmission of the Indian variant of coronavirus.
The decisions were taken after separate meetings as the government allowed the local administrations to impose lockdown if the situation worsens in their areas.
Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Abdul Jalil announced the restrictions on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the fresh restrictions, none will be allowed to leave their houses from 7 pm to 8 am without any emergency reason in Rajshahi until June 9.
All business establishments and vehicular movement will remain shut during the time except those providing emergency services. However restaurants and traders can provide services online.
However, mango farmers and traders will carry on their business on a limited scale maintaining social distance.
Also read: Naogaon municipality, Niamatpur upazila put under one week lockdown
Similar restrictions have also been imposed in Rupsha Upazila, Khulna Sadar, Sonadanga and Khalishpur upazilas of Khulna for a week which will start from June 4.
Khulna Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Helal Hossain came up with the decision after a meeting with the district coronavirus prevention committee on Wednesday morning in presence of Khulna City Corporation Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleq.
All shops except pharmacies in those places will remain closed for a week from June 4.
Mobile courts and police were instructed to take necessary steps to ensure people maintain the health guidelines.
The city mayor said no gathering would be allowed after evening.
He also instructed all to maintain social distance and use masks.
Also read: Lockdown extended in Rohingya camps, Teknaf upazila
Besides, Naogaon municipality, Niamatpur upazila have been put under lockdown for a week.
Lockdown extended in Rohingya camps, Teknaf upazila
The local administration on Tuesday extended the ongoing lockdown in Teknaf upazila and five Rohingya camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar district in an effort to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission.
The existing lockdown will remain in force till June 6, officials here said.
Also read: Bangladesh sees rise in Covid infections; 41 more die
All the activities inside the Rohingya camps, apart from food and medicine supply, will remain suspended during the lockdown.
Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas both in Cox’s Bazar district and Bhasan Char.
Also read: Strict lockdown imposed in Teknaf and five Rohingya camps
Authorities on May 21 enforced a week-long lockdown at five Rohingya refugee camps in Teknaf and Ukhiya upazilas in Cox’s Bazar following a recent spike in Covid-19 infections in the district.
At the same time, the government also announced a 10-day lockdown in Teknaf upazila to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
Bangladesh sees rise in Covid infections; 41 more die
Amid the growing trend in both the Coronavirus infections and fatalities, Bangladesh logged 41 more deaths, pushing up the death toll to 12,660.
Besides, health authorities detected 1,765 new cases after testing 18,250 samples during the period.
The country’s daily death record remained below 40 since May 25 while it stayed below 50 since May 9.
With the new cases, the total caseload rose to 8,02,305, said a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily infection rate slightly increased to 9.47 percent from Monday’s 9.41 percent while the mortality rate remained static at 1.58 percent.
The country has so far tested 59,65,763 samples.
Read:Covid: WHO renames UK and other variants with Greek letters
The DGHS handout says 92.50% of the people infected till now have recovered, including 1,779 who tested negative during the period.
Bangladesh reported its first Coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Bangladesh records lowest Covid deaths in over two months
Bangladesh logged 17 more Covid-related deaths in 24 hours until Wednesday morning, the lowest number in 68 days.
The country saw 16 Covid-19 deaths on March 18 last.
Besides, 1,497 new cases were recorded taking the total caseload to 7,93,693, said a handout of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The Covid-19 positivity rate declined to 9.11 percent from Tuesday’s 10.08 percent while the mortality rate remained static at 1.57 percent, the handout said.
Health authorities recorded the new cases after testing 16,434 samples in the last 24 hours.
With 1,056 recoveries in the past 24 hours, the country's recovery rate now stands at 92.46.
As of now, 7,33,866 people have recovered from the disease.
Eight of the 17 deaths recorded today are from Chattogram and five are from Dhaka divisions.
Also read: Bangladesh braces for worst Covid outbreak by June-end: Experts
One each died in Khulna, Barishal, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions.
The country so far carried out 58,71,353 sample tests since reporting its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on March 18, 2020.