The DGHS was also in a state of unease over fears that the pandemic situation might go from bad to worse if the masses did not cooperate with the authorities and ignored hygiene rules. JAYANTA.
A nationwide strict lockdown will be imposed only if the overall Covid-19 infection rate reaches 15-20pc, according to the health directorate.
The technical panel on the pandemic had yet to recommend another lockdown throughout the country, Dr Robed Amin, spokesperson for the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said in a press briefing on Covid-19 on Wednesday.
The DGHS was also in a state of unease over fears that the pandemic situation might go from bad to worse if the masses did not cooperate with the authorities and ignored hygiene rules.
The daily figures of the past seven days showed that infections and deaths were on the rise, noted Dr Robed Amin.
On the topic of locking down the capital, he said there would be no need to impose the curb in Dhaka if the authorities could stop patients from the nearby districts from entering the city.
However, if the rush of patients to Dhaka continued, a stricter lockdown might become essential, the DGHS official forewarned.
Stating that the second wave of the pandemic in the country had yet to be brought under control, Prof Amin said the situation might have been better if the Covid-19 infection rate was kept under the 5pc mark for 2-3 weeks.
Violation continues
Widespread violation of Covid-19 restrictions continued on Wednesday, the second day of the restrictions on public movement and activities in seven districts of Dhaka division to contain the surge in Covid infections.
On the day people were seen continuing daily works outside homes as usual amid lax monitoring. Thousands of people were seen on roads of these districts and ferry terminals while police restricted inter-district buses and launches to operate services. The rail communications with Dhaka and rest of the country remained suspended from early hours of Wednesday.
As the inter-district bus, train and passenger ferry services in these districts remained suspended, office-going people and factory-going workers were the worst sufferers. Though there were police check-posts at different boundary points of the district, thousands of people were seen on the district roads as usual days.
Many shopping malls and shops reopened on the day. As ferry services on Shimulia-Banglabazar route was active to carry goods laden vehicles, several hundred passengers on foot were seen to get on ferries to cross the river Padma on the day since morning.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation Shimulia terminal manager Shafayet Ahmed said that the ferries on the route were scheduled to carry only goods laden vehicles during the restriction period.
“But, there are passengers on foot on every ferry. It is not our responsibility to prevent them from getting on the ferries,” he added.
Earlier Munshiganj deputy commissioner Md Moniruzzaman Talukder said that only vehicles and vessels carrying essentials and providing emergency services would be allowed during the restriction.
Hundreds of people were also seen coming to and leaving from Dhaka on foot by Gabtoli and Signboard points on the day as the buses were being restricted to run on the routes. Though buses like Rajanigandha, Labbaik and Anabil were seen running from the capital to Signboard area on the day.
Earlier on Monday, the Cabinet Division in an order said that all public activities in general, including public movement, in the districts of Manikganj, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Gazipur, Madaripur, Rajbari and Gopalganj would remain banned from 6:00am June 22 to June 30 midnight considering the coronavirus situation. The capital is connected to the rest of the country by roads and rivers.
32 died in Khulna, RMCH
Khulna division on Wednesday witnessed its highest number of single-day Covid-19 deaths with a total of 32 people dying of the virus in the last 24 hours.
In the meantime, sixteen more Covid patients died in the past 24 hours at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) till Wednesday morning, according to the district's health officials.
In Khulna, According to the Khulna divisional health director’s office, eight victims died in Khulna, seven in Jhenaidah, five in Chuadanga, four in Kushtia, three in Bagerhat, two in Meherpur, and one each in Jashore, Satkhira, and Narail, respectively. Meanwhile, during this period, 903 people tested positive for Covid-19, confirmed Khulna Divisional Health Director Dr Rasheda Sultana.
In Rajshahi, of the deceased, eight had tested positive for Covid-19, while the remaining showed symptoms of the disease, said the hospital’s Director Brig Gen Shamim Yeazdani. Of the deceased, eight were from the Rajshahi district, three from Chapainawabganj, two each from Natore and Naogaon, and one was from Jhenaidah.
Meanwhile, the infection rate has further decreased in Rajshahi. On Tuesday, 457 samples were tested at two laboratories of the district and 151 of those came back positive, yielding an infection rate of 33.05pc.
The rate was 33.51pc on Monday and 43.19pc on Sunday. Officials said that 245 Covid-19 patients died at the RMCH corona unit over the last 23 days.
Brig Gen Yeazdani said that 60 people were admitted to the hospital in the 24 hours till Wednesday morning. Of them, 44 people were from Rajshahi, six from Chapainawabganj, two from Natore, five from Naogaon, two from Pabna, and one from Jhenaidah. Some 42 people also left the hospital during the same period after recovering from the disease.
Besides, 410 people were currently undergoing treatment against 357 beds at the corona unit. The authorities had opened a 48-bed facility equipped with a centralized oxygen supply on Tuesday. Of the total patients, 20 people were undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit.
Authorities on June 17 had extended the ongoing lockdown, aimed to curb the spread of Covid-19, in Rajshahi by one more week. It will now end at Thursday midnight.
Lockdown extended in three northern districts
The ongoing lockdown in three northern districts of Bangladesh, Rajshahi, Natore and Naogoan, was extended for seven more days as Covid infection sharply increased in villages of the districts.
In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Rajshahi deputy commissioner Abdul Jalil said that all types of business and vehicular movement will remain closed during the lockdown and all connectivity from different upazilas to Rajshshi city would remain closed until 30 June.
According to the Rajshahi health directorate office, 847 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in the division in the past 24 hours till 8:00am on Wednesday. This is the highest number of new cases recorded in a single day in the division since Covid outbreak in March 2020.
Rajshahi Medical College Hospital said that a total of 16 patients died in the Covid units of the hospital in the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 245 in the ongoing month.
According to the Rajshahi Civil Surgeon Office, there was no Covid patient in any of the nine upazilas of Rajshahi till March 15. However, a total of 1,120 Covid patients were detected in nine upazilas in 23 days of the ongoing month.
Rajshahi civil surgeon Dr Quiume Talukder told New Age that people in the rural areas mostly ignored the health guidelines. “Even they do not want to test their samples and come to the hospital unit they feel a serious problems of breathing,” he added.
Meanwhile, the districts administrations of Natore and Naogan also extended the ongoing restrictions for seven more days as duo districts experienced a sharp increase in the Covid infection. Two people died while 102 people were infected by Covid-19 in Natore district in the last 24 hours, said the district deputy commissioner Shamim Ahmed.
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