Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Raushon Ershad on Tuesday called upon the government to inform people about the Covid variants that have so far been found in Bangladesh and their characteristics alongside taking necessary steps to tackle those. In a statement, Raushon said, “The corona pandemic is slowing down the progress and advancement in all spheres of life. The government should take emergency steps, including sending out messages to protect people from a dangerous catastrophe in the medical system like the neighbouring country.” Raushon also urged the government to work together with people taking effective policies, strategies and action plans to deal with the pandemic. Read: Maximum energy, strength need to be employed to tackle Covid: Raushon She called upon the government to provide every district with necessary support and equipment to combat the prevalence of the virus. Raushon suggested the government give guidelines on production and import of medicines, masks, sanitizers, testing kits and PPE through local industries. Stating that the Covid-19 treatment cost is very expensive in Bangladesh, she said it is difficult for low- and middle-income people to afford such expenses. The opposition leader said the private companies should be allowed to import Covid vaccines and provide those among people alongside the government. Read:JaPa accuses govt of harassing opponents She requested the government to take necessary steps, including increasing subsidies, to reduce the treatment expenses in hospitals. Raushon bemoaned that when the country is going through a difficult time due to the coronavirus outbreak, many people are still showing apathy to health safety rules. She warned that the overall Covid situation may turn worse in the days to come if everyone is not forced to maintain health hygiene.