The Religious Affairs Ministry issued several directives regarding celebration of Eid-ul-Azha and offering prayers at Eidgah and mosques considering the overall  situation in the country . The ministry issued a notification in this regard  on Thursday. The ministry requested people  not to use lights for decoration during Eid-ul-Azha celebrations People have been asked to come for Eid prayers with ceremonial wash (Oju) done from respective houses. Authorities have been directed to provide soap, hand sanitizers at the washrooms of Eidgah and mosques to prevent the spread of Covid1-19.  Also read: Ensure uninterrupted ATM, POS, internet banking , MFS during Eid vacation: BB They  must wear masks while attending Eid congregations and cannot use cap, prayer mates kept at Eidgah or mosques, said the notice. Social distancing and health guidelines to be maintained while performing Eid prayers and they must stand for prayers leaving one row empty, it said. The ministry also requested the imams and religious leaders to conduct prayer seeking the Almighty’s blessings to protect everyone from the pandemic after the Eid prayers. Also read: Skyrocketing fodder prices leave cattle farmers fretting ahead of Eid The religious leaders, imams, mosque governing committees and local administrations have been asked to implement the directives. The ministry has also asked people to follow the guidelines of the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry for sacrificing animals on the Eid day.

After a 7-month delay caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations for the academic session 2020-21 will begin on Thursday, maintaining health protocols. Some 13,99,690 students are expected to take the HSC and equivalent examinations this year while the number was 13,65,789 last year. The number of candidates has increased by 33,901 with a growth rate of 2.48 percent. Read:Maintain health protocols to keep HSC exams undisturbed: Dipu Moni About 11,38,017 candidates will sit for the HSC exams under nine general education boards, 1,13,114 for Alim exams under Madrasa Education Board and 1,48,503 for vocational exams under Bangladesh Technical Education Board this year. Besides, 406 students will take part in the examinations from abroad. Some 2,621 centres are ready to hold the HSC examinations across the country. This year the SSC and the HSC examinations could not be held as per the schedules due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then the government decided to hold the examinations with shortened syllabuses. The SSC and equivalent examinations that began on November 14 concluded on November 23while the HSC exams will conclude on December 30. Besides, all coaching centres across the country will remain shut from November 25 to January 3 ahead of the exams. Educational institutions across the country had remained closed since March last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the closure was extended several times. Finally, the government reopened schools and colleges on September 13 following an improvement in the Covid-19 situation. Read:Coaching centres to remain shut for 39 days as HSC exams begin on Dec 2 Last year’s HSC examinees were evaluated on the basis of their results of JSC and SSC exams, a decision which received a mixed reaction. Education Minister Dipu Moni has urged all to maintain health protocols so that the HSC examinations can be held without any disruption. “Concerns are growing as the new variant of coronavirus, ‘Omicron’, has been identified. It’s more infectious. We need to remain very careful,” she told a programme at Chandpur Press Club on Tuesday evening. The minister, however, expressed dissatisfaction as many people are not wearing face masks. “We should follow the hygiene rules and avoid public gatherings to contain the spread of the virus so that we don’t have to postpone the HSC exams.”

Education Minister Dipu Moni has urged all to maintain health protocols so that the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations can be held without any disruption. “Concerns are growing as the new variant of coronavirus, ‘Omicron’, has been identified. It’s more infectious. We need to remain very careful,” she told a programme at Chandpur Press Club on Tuesday evening. Read: Next year’s public exams won’t be held as per schedule: Dipu Moni The minister, however, expressed dissatisfaction as many people are not wearing masks. “We should follow the hygiene rules and avoid public gatherings to contain the spread of the virus so that we don’t have to postpone the HSC exams.” “HSC exams are scheduled to begin on Thursday, which is very important in the academic life of a student,” the minister added. This year the SSC and the HSC examinations could not be held as per the schedules due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then the government decided to hold the examinations with shortened syllabuses. Read: Students to get new textbooks in time next year: Dipu Moni According to the schedule, the HSC and its equivalent examinations will end on December 30. Last year’s HSC examinees were evaluated on the basis of the results of JSC and SSC exams of students, a decision which received a mixed reaction.

The judicial activities of both the divisions of will be conducted in physical presence maintaining health protocols from Wednesday. The Supreme Court issued a press release in this regard on Monday. Read: CJ, SC judges allowances raised; 2 Bills passed The decision was taken by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain in consultation with the senior judges.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged all to maintain health protocols like wearing masks to check the recharge of Coronavirus in the upcoming winter as the virus hits many countries of the world at this time. “I urge all to remain careful so that Coronavirus cannot resurge in any way. You’ll have to wear facemasks always,” she said, adding that the virus has again hit many other countries including the USA, England and Europe in the world with the advent of winter. The Prime Minister said this while receiving 2645,000 blankets for the destitute from the Bangladesh Association of Bank (BAB) for her relief godown ahead of winter. She joined the blanket handover ceremony, held at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. Read: Bangladesh reports 6 more Covid deaths, 294 fresh cases Noting that the season changes in October-November here, which is a very critical time for the outbreak of influenza and cough, she urged people to take precaution to prevent influenza and cough in this transitional period between the cold and hot seasons. Hasina also asked people to keep vitamin C-enriched fruits in their food menu to enhance their immunity against the coronavirus alongside maintaining the health protocols. She said the government has successfully been able to keep the coronavirus under control. The PM reassured that all those who are eligible for vaccination according to WHO would be brought under vaccination by the middle of the next year. Read: Conduct digital surveys to protect forests: PM She thanked the representatives of the private banks for donating the blankets and cash for the poor. "You people are always coming forward to help the poor." On behalf of the Prime Minister, her Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus received the blankets and a cheque of Tk 10 lakh for the PM's Relief and Welfare Fund from 37 private banks. BAB Chairman Nazrul Islam Majumder spoke at the function while top representatives from the banks were present.

Action will be taken against those who will defy health protocols in their educational institutions, said Education Minister Dipu Moni. “If any violation of Covid norms is seen at educational institutions, action will be taken against those responsible for that, no matter whether he/she is a teacher or an official from the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE),” she said.   The education minister came up with the warning while talking to reporters after visiting Azimpur Government Girls’ School and College in the city on Sunday. Read: Students in Bangladesh burst into joy as schools, colleges reopen “The Covid infection rate has dropped to 7 percent, and when we had a meeting on August 26, we witnessed a downtrend. After considering it, we took the decision to reopen the educational institutions. The students have been suffering a lot socially and mentally due to the prolonged closure of the educational institutions,” she said.

Maintaining health guidelines, taking vaccine shots and wearing masks are now the only means to prevent the Covid-19 spread in Bangladesh as all the restrictions have been lifted fully, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday. The minister said this while attending a seminar on the 46th death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the National Mourning Day in the city. The restrictions imposed for containing the transmission have been lifted in order to save people’s lives and livelihoods, said minister Maleque. Also read: 54 lakh more vaccine doses to arrive by Aug 15: Minister

Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), a platform of over a dozen labour rights bodies, on Monday demanded  Covid risk allowance for export-oriented factory workers and punishment for the owners for negligence in ensuring health protocols in workplaces. In a statement, the SKOP leaders strongly criticised the decision for opening the factories, which is mostly apparel ones, in an alarming situation with high Covid-19 infection and death rates, without making transport arrangements for workers to return to their workstations and protection measures in workplaces amid the Covid lockdown. Following the sudden announcement that the export-oriented factories would be open on August 01, tens of thousands of workers had to face untold sufferings and count over three-four times transport cost in their ways back to the respective workstations due to the Covid-19 lockdown after the Eid vacation, they bemoaned. Also read: Vaccination campaign for garment workers begins in Gazipur It was not possible for the workers (who are mostly readymade garment (RGM) workers) to follow the health protocols on their ways back to the workstations, they said. The SKOP leaders said the lives of workers were undermined for the owners’ interests by opening the factories without Covid-19 test arrangements in every factory gate, and promises from the owners to keep corona infected workers in isolations under their management, bear the responsibility of medical treatment for them and provide compensation in case of death. They asked not to terminate if any worker falls sick due to coronavirus infection. Also read: Ensuring nutrition for apparel workers can boost 20% productivity: Study The SKOP leaders who made the statement include its two joint coordinators Shahidullah Chowdhury and Nur Kutub Mannan, Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, Shah Mohd Zafar, Anwar Hossain, Razequzzaman Ratan, Saifuzzaman Badsha, Kamrul Ahsan and Dr Wazedul Islam Khan, said a release.

Export-oriented industries resumed operation on Sunday, the 10th day of the ongoing stringent lockdown, amid warnings against Covid surge as workers started returning to their workplaces without maintaining health protocols. The workers in their thousands have been on their way back to their workplaces in Narayanganj, Gazipur and Mymensingh in Dhaka division since Friday after the government’s announcement of reopening factories. Read:Vessels to move till 12 pm Sunday to carry factory workers The workers took their arduous journeys to get back to their workplaces as public transport remained suspended due to the lockdown. They walked miles for miles or moved on in hired auto-rickshaws, motorbikes, goods-laden vehicles in their desperate bid to join work. Later, the government on Saturday night allowed public transport to operate until 12 pm on Sunday to facilitate the return of workers.   Buses started plying roads from early Sunday and people were seen entering the capital through Gabtoli, Abdullahpur, Mohakhali, Sayedabad, Postagola and Babubazar point by bus or on foot. The Covid-19 crisis has hit the country’s economy hard and jeopardized its impressive achievements in poverty reduction, according to economists.

Even though the Covid-19 crisis is deepening, traffic on the streets of capital Dhaka is increasing with every passing day amid the lockdown enforced to contain the highly transmittable Delta variant of the virus. The number of vehicles and people increased substantially on Dhaka streets on Thursday, the seventh day of the 14-day strict lockdown. Read: Lockdown Breaches: 562 arrested as movement of vehicles, people increase on 6th day Many people were seen coming out and wandering without any valid reason while health protocols are hardly maintained in most cases.