Bangladesh recorded another death from Covid-19 with 1,319 new cases reported in 24 hours till Thursday morning. On Wednesday the country recorded one death and 1,135 cases from Covid-19. The country recorded over 1000 Covid cases (1409 cases) with 11 deaths last on February 25. The daily-case positivity rate jumped to 14.32 per cent from Wednesday’s 13.30 per cent as 9,214 samples were tested during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Also read: Global Covid cases surpass 546 million The country’s total caseload rose to 1,960,528 while the total fatalities reached 29,135 with the new numbers, it said. The deceased was a woman, aged 61-70, hailing from Dhaka division. The mortality rate remained static at 1.49 per cent. The recovery rates declined to 97.29 per cent from Monday’s 97.34 per cent as 122 patients recovered during this period. In May, the country reported only four Covid-linked deaths and 816 new cases, while 7,356 patients recovered from the disease, according to the DGHS. Among the four deaths during the period, one was vaccinated with single dose of Covid vaccine while three were vaccinated with two doses. The country reported its first zero Covid death in a single day on November 20 last year, along with 178 cases, since the pandemic broke out here in March 2020. Also read: COVID cases rise in Southeast Asia, Middle East and Europe On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest positivity rate of 33.37 per cent. The country registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and daily fatalities of 264 on August 10 in the same year.

Athletes will need to be vaccinated — or face a long quarantine — take tests daily and wear masks when not competing or training. Clapping is OK to cheer on teammates, not chanting. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will be sent into isolation and unable to compete until cleared for discharge. Welcome to the Beijing Olympics, where strict containment measures will aim to create a virus-proof “bubble” for thousands of international visitors at a time when omicron is fueling infections globally. The prevention protocols will be similar to those at the Tokyo Games this summer, but much tighter. That won't be a stretch in Beijing, with China having maintained a “Zero COVID" policy since early in the pandemic. Still, China's ability to stick to its zero-tolerance approach nationally is already being tested by the highly transmissible omicron variant, which is more contagious than earlier variants of the virus and better able to evade protection from vaccines. With just weeks to go before the Feb. 4 start of the Games, more than 20 million people in six cities are under lockdown after recent outbreaks. Here’s how the Games will work. Also read: China says US diplomatic boycott violates Olympic spirit DO ATHLETES HAVE TO BE VACCINATED? Yes, athletes and other participants including team staff and news media need to be fully vaccinated to be allowed in the designated Olympic areas without completing a 21-day quarantine. Those areas will consist of the Olympic Village, game venues, other select spots and dedicated transport. That’s different from the Tokyo Games, where participants didn’t have to be vaccinated. Participants are considered fully vaccinated according to the definitions outlined by their countries. Before boarding their flights, everyone also needs to provide two recent negative tests from approved labs. The threat of being sidelined by a positive test is adding to the pressure for athletes. Mogul skier Hannah Soar said she's avoiding contact with people indoors and behaving as if everyone has the virus: “We’re basically at the point of acting like it’s March 2020.” WHAT ABOUT DAILY LIFE? Upon arrival at the airport in Beijing, participants will have their temperatures taken and be tested with throat and nasal swabs. An Olympics official who recently arrived on site said at a press briefing the process took him 45 minutes, though organizers note times might vary. A bus will then take people to their designated lodging, where they’ll wait up to six hours for test results to clear them to move about in approved areas. Restrictions on movement within that “closed loop” are intended to seal off any potential contact between Olympic participants and the local population. Throat swabs for testing will be required daily for all participants. In Tokyo, participants spit into vials for antigen tests. Standard prevention measures are being encouraged, such as ventilating rooms and keeping a distance of about 3 feet (1 meter) from others – or 6 feet (2 meters) from athletes. Masks that are N95 or of a similar caliber will also be required in indoor and outdoor areas with few exceptions, such as when people are eating or drinking. Dining halls will have partitions and seating capacity will be reduced to help maintain distancing. In spaces where distancing isn’t possible, such as elevators, talking isn’t allowed. Staff will be stationed in key areas to help guide people and ensure protocols are being followed. Also read: China’s Tianjin on partial lockdown after omicron found WHAT HAPPENS IF AN ATHLETE TESTS POSITIVE? In Tokyo, organizers say 33 athletes tested positive during the Games. Of those, 22 were withdrawn from from competition. Even with the tightened precautions in Beijing, experts say some positive tests are likely, especially with omicron in play. If an athlete or other participant tests positive but doesn’t have symptoms, they’ll need to go into isolation in a dedicated hotel. They’ll be provided with meals and can open their windows for fresh air but won’t be able to leave their rooms, which organizers say will be about 270 square feet (25 square meters). Athletes can request fitness equipment for training. People with no symptoms can leave isolation after two days of negative tests. Organizers say those testing positive will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but it might still be too late for athletes to compete. As a general rule, organizers say the panel will review those who keep testing positive for more than 14 days. Those who test positive and have symptoms have to go into isolation in a hospital. They’ll also need to two days of negative tests to be let loose, as well as three days of normal temperatures and symptoms subsiding. Organizers have said athletes who recover after testing positive ahead of the Games will also be assessed on a case-by-case basis in a “more flexible manner." WILL THERE BE FANS? Spectators from overseas won’t be allowed. As for local fans, Beijing organizers say they're finalizing rules for their attendance. It's not clear how the recent outbreaks around China will factor into the decisions. But organizers of the Tokyo Games had also planned to allow some domestic fans, before scrapping the idea because a surge in local cases. The result was surreal scenes of athletes competing in empty stadiums. Even if some fans are allowed in Beijing, their presence will be muted. Everyone is being asked to clap instead of shouting or singing, as had been the plan in Tokyo. CAN IT WORK? Despite the omicron-fueled surge hitting many parts of the world including China, organizers may still be able to pull off the Olympics without as much disruption as some fear. Olympic athletes are highly motivated to avoid infection so they can compete, noted Dr. Sandro Galea, a public health expert at Boston University. And even if it's harder with omicron, he noted it’s no mystery what people need to do to avoid infection — take prevention measures, such as limiting exposure to others.

Another lockdown is not a solution to prevent Covid infections, rather it increases the misery of low-income people and affects the country's trade and economy, said FBCCI President Md. Jashim Uddin on Wednesday. He came up with the remark while responding to a question at ‘Meet the Reporters program’ organised by Dhaka Reporters' Unity. Read: Increased capacity of Ctg Port to cut cost of doing business: FBCCI He urged people to abide by the restrictions imposed by the government to prevent the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. “A lot of export orders are coming now. Fresh lockdown decision will actually disrupt the industry's growth and hurt the economy in the long run. The countries that resorted to lockdown suffered the worst,” he said. Addressing the programme, FBCCI president said the main obstacle to foreign investment was the lack of adequate infrastructures. But now, various development projects undertaken by the present government including Padma Bridge, Karnafuli Tunnel, Metrorail and 100 economic zones have created investment-friendly environment in the country, he said. Meanwhile, the FBCCI president urged banks to lend more to small and medium enterprises. “Bangladesh will face several challenges to protect local industries after the country’s graduation from LDC category. In order to face these challenges, it is important to have free trade agreements with different countries, said the FBCCI chief. The six blocks account for 90 percent of world trade, so FTA can be signed with six blocs - Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), European Economic Union, USA, EU, UK and African Continental Free Trade Agreement, said Jashim. He emphasized increasing the capacity of various ministries including the Ministry of Commerce to negotiate the post LDC challenges. FBCCI is going to set up an innovation center to enhance the capacity of the private sector, he said adding that this will accelerate research and development in various sectors. Read: FBCCI for harnessing promise of Bangladesh-Indonesia trade ties To enhance the FBCCI's own research capacity, 18 experts from various fields have been appointed as panel advisors, he said. The FBCCI will play a more effective role in formulating various policies based on their analysis and opinions. In order to address the post-transformation challenges of developing countries, Internal Resource Mobilization and Tariff Rationalization, Global Market Access 2021-2026 and Beyond, Investment Measures for Sustainable Inclusive Development and Sustainable Export Development, Subsidies and Incentives have been formulated. President of Dhaka Reporters Unity Md Nazrul Islam, General Secretary Nurul Islam Hasib and Organizing Secretary Abdullah Al Kafi were, among others, present.

After a gap of nearly 18 months, Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia is all set to reopen its residential halls to students on October 9. Regular classes of all departments, however, will resume from October 20,  IU information publication and public relations office director Ataul Hoque said. Read:Islamic University waives transport, hall fees from period of Covid-19 closure The decision to reopen the residential halls was taken at IU's 263rd syndicate meeting held at vice chancellor Professor Shaikh Abdus Salam's official residence Monday. The meeting was chaired by the VC. Students will have to produce proof of at least one dose of a Covid vaccine to access the residential facilities and attend the classes, Ataul said. The central library of the university, however, reopened on Tuesday. Read: Islamic University to start final exams from Sept 12 "All arrangements have been made to reopen the residential halls. But no student will be allowed to stay at the ‘gana room’ as it could cause a surge in Covid infections, the vice-chancellor said. Among others, IU pro-VC Professor M Mahbubur Rahman, treasurer Professor M Alamgir Hossain Bhuiya and acting registrar M Ataur Rahman were present at the meeting.  Last month, a group of students staged a protest on the campus, demanding the university reopen the residential halls to the students on September 30.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has revised Bangladesh's growth forecast for the current fiscal amid fears of a third wave of the Covid pandemic. In its latest report, the regional lender has pegged Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 6.8 percent in the current fiscal.  GDP is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced in a country in a specific time period. Read:ADB unveils new partnership strategy for Bangladesh The growth projection for the current fiscal reflects a strong recovery supported by strengthening manufacturing, continued expansion in the global economy and effective government recovery policies, the ADB said. On the other hand, inflation is expected to slightly edge up to 5.8 percent and current account deficit to narrow down to 0.6 percent of GDP in financial year (FY) 22. However, FY22 growth is expected to remain below pre-pandemic levels, as per the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2021 report released on Wednesday. The main risk is the re-escalation of Covid infections in Bangladesh or major advanced economies, clipping domestic and external demand, according to the global lender. Read: ADB okays $1.78 billion for Dhaka-Sylhet trade corridor “The government’s policies for saving lives while protecting livelihoods underpinned the recovery process in Bangladesh, making it one of the few countries in the world sustaining commendable economic growth in recent difficult times,” said ADB Country Director Manmohan Parkash. He said that prudent macroeconomic management, and efficient implementation of stimulus measures and social protection programmes have helped. "Continued efforts for job creation, quick vaccination, and improving domestic resource mobilization will further accelerate the recovery process." Appreciating recent initiatives in the areas of financial inclusion, and expanding social protection, Parkash said, “Sustained reforms to increase business competitiveness, foreign investment, export diversification, skills development, and technology adoption will stimulate private sector investments and hasten economic recovery." In FY22, improving consumer confidence and the government’s fiscal and monetary stimulus measures are expected to boost private and public investment. Read: ADB lowers its economic growth forecast for developing Asia The central bank’s expansionary and accommodative monetary policy is expected to support the projected growth while keeping inflation contained. Strong remittances will stimulate private consumption, the ADB said. Inflation is expected to edge up to 5.8 percent in FY2022 reflecting recovery in economic activity. Continued implementation of the increased fiscal and monetary stimulus measures is expected to create inflationary pressures. A good crop outlook, consumer caution and underutilized production capacity should mitigate any upward pressure on prices. Domestic administered prices for fuel may cushion the impact of increased crude oil prices, the report said.

Khulna division has logged 34 new Covid-related deaths in 24 hours till Thursday morning, as the Delta variant of the deadly coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across the country. According to the health director's office, nine people died in Kushtia, six in Jashore, four each in Khulna and Meherpur, three each in Magura and Jhenaidah, two each in Bagerhat and Narail, and one in Chuadanga district. Read: Covid: Khulna aims to inoculate over 1.16 lakh residents The total death toll in the division has now reached 2,554, officials said. Besides, some 817 new Covid infections have been detected in 10 districts of the division in the past 24 hours, pushing up the total cases to 97,693. Earlier, 35 people died of Covid-19 in the division on Wednesday, while 745 people were found infected with the virus. Read:Khulna div registers another 40 Covid deaths, 880 cases In Khulna division, the first case of Covid-19 was detected in Chuadanga on March 19, 2020. So far, 75,320 people have been recovered from Covid in the division.

Khulna division has logged 31 new Covid-related deaths in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, as the Delta variant of the deadly coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across the country. According to the health director's office, eight people died in Khulna, seven each in Jashore and Kushtia, four in Jhenaidah, three in Meherpur and one each in Chuadanga and Magura districts. Read:Khulna div registers another 40 Covid deaths, 880 cases The total death toll in the division has now reached 2,485, officials said. Besides, some 946 new Covid infections have been detected in 10 districts of the division in the past 24 hours, pushing up the total cases to 96,131. Earlier, 26 people died of Covid-19 in the division on Friday, while 1,373 people were found infected with the virus. Read: Khulna division sees 46 Covid deaths amid deepening crisis In Khulna division, the first case of Covid-19 was detected in Chuadanga on March 19, 2020. So far, 72,872 people have been recovered from Covid in the division.

BNP on Sunday termed ‘suicidal’ the government’s decision of allowing the export-oriented factories to resume operation amid the ongoing "strict lockdown" enforced to contain the spike in Covid infections and fatalities. “A horrible and messy situation has been prevailing in the country…it declared earlier that the factories would remain shut until August 5. Suddenly, it’s announced that the factories would be reopened without taking any steps to allow the workers to return. They again decided at night that public transport would operate till 12pm,” said party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Read: Factories reopen amid Covid surge as ‘economy falters’ He said, “That’s why I earlier said all these decisions come from Hemayetpur, and this is the reality…I see nothing but insanity in these decisions. The BNP standing committee feels that the government has taken the suicidal decision due to its incompetence and extreme lack of sincerity.” Fakhrul made the remarks at a press conference at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office while unveiling the decisions of a virtual meeting of party standing committee held on Saturday. Referring to media reports, he said it is freighting the way workers in their thousands were crowding and making their desperate bid to return to their workplaces. “They (workers) are returning from rural areas where now the coronavirus transmission is very high. They’re coming back with this (virus). So, we can understand what's going to happen in Dhaka. We think the government should resign shouldering all the responsibilities for its utter failure to deal with the corona situation,” Fakhrul observed. The BNP leader said health experts also opposed the government’s such decision and they described it as a farce since  the residents of Dhaka will be vulnerable to the infection of the deadly Delta variant of coronavirus with the arrival of the workers from outside the capital. Export-oriented industries resumed operation today (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. Read: Lockdown: Thousands returning to Dhaka as factories going to reopen Sunday A record surge in the number of Covid cases and fatalities in recent days prompted the government to enforce a nationwide stringent lockdown, suspending all outdoor activities unless there is an emergency. Fakhrul alleged that the country’s poor and low-income people are going through serious sufferings due to ‘unplanned' lockdown enforced by the government.He said their party repeatedly cautioned the government that the lockdown would never work without food aid and financial support for low-income and marginalised people, including workers in the informal sector, transport workers, boatmen, and rickshaw and van pullers. “We also urged the government to provide these people with a one-time grant of Tk 15,000. But the government has decided to pay Tk 2,500 to its own party men. The real victims are not getting this support,” the BNP leader said. Deceiving people over vaccine Fakhrul alleged that the government is trying to deceive people by giving them wrong information about the vaccines. “The government has said it’ll make arrangements to provide 60 lakh doses of vaccines every week. But it couldn’t give 60 lakh jabs over the last seven months. They’ve also announced to give one crore doses of vaccines every month without any guarantee of receiving the jabs. This is nothing but a trickery with people.” Read: Govt deceiving people over Covid vaccines: BNP He said the health minister has been making ‘ridiculous and hollow’ remarks about vaccinating the country’s 80 percent of the population without collecting the necessary vaccine doses. “The BNP standing committee meeting has urged the government to immediately present a specific roadmap on vaccine collection, storage, and distribution to people without uttering empty words.” Fakhrul also accused the government of deliberately giving people 'untrue information' about the daily coronavirus cases and fatalities. “They’re misleading people by not giving the real statistics on the number of infections and deaths.”

Khulna division has logged 41 new Covid-related deaths in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Thursday. According to the health director's office, 15 people died in Khulna, nine in Kushtia, five in Jhenaidah, four in Jashore, three in Meherpur, two each in Narail and Magura, and one in Chuadanga district. Read:16 more die of Covid at Khulna hospitals Besides, some 1,019 new Covid infections have been detected in 10 districts of the division in the past 24 hours, pushing up the total cases to 91,568. Similarly, the total death toll in the division has now reached 2,335, said the officials. Earlier on Wednesday, some 866 people tested positive for Covid-19 while some 31 succumbed to the virus, according to the divisional health department. Read: Khulna division sees 46 Covid deaths amid deepening crisis In Khulna division, the first case of Covid-19 was detected in Chuadanga on March 19, 2020. So far, 66,580 people have been recovered in the division.

Khulna division has logged 31 new Covid-related deaths in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Wednesday. According to the health director's office, nine people died in Khulna, six in Jashore, five in Kushita, four in Jhenaidah, three in Magura, two in Chuadanga, and one each in Bagerhat and Meherpur districts. Read: Khulna division sees 46 Covid deaths amid deepening crisis Besides, some 866 new Covid infections have been detected in 10 districts of the division in the past 24 hours, pushing up the total cases to 90,549. Similarly, the total death toll in the division has now reached 2,294, said the officials. Earlier on Tuesday, some 1,435 people tested positive for Covid-19 while some 46 succumbed to the virus, according to the divisional health department. Read:Khulna division logs 33 new Covid deaths In Khulna division, the first case of Covid-19 was detected in Chuadanga on March 19, 2020. So far, 65,461 people have been recovered in the division.