Hiding info on COVID-19 patients punishable offence
Citing "the Communicable Diseases (Prevention, Control and Eradication) Act, 2018", the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) yesterday published a circular that said hiding information about any COVID-19 patient is a punishable offence.
The circular was published a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the COVID-19 is a global pandemic.
The law also allows any officials in-charge to visit any outbreak area and take measures accordingly.
The measures include announcing the area as an "outbreak zone", controlling or stopping people's movement, suspending vehicular movement, keeping people in quarantine, and isolating infected people if necessary.
Besides, the act also permits the officials to order the owner of any vehicle to disinfect it.
"Many returnees from abroad or people who came in close contact with them are not maintaining the condition of quarantine… The DGHS is requesting everyone involved to perform responsibilities accordingly. Otherwise, certain punishable sections of the act would be implemented," said the circular signed by DGHS Director General Prof Abul Kalam Azad.
In case of any violation of the law, the person will be penalised for not more than two months in jail or pay a fine of not more than Tk 25,000, or both.
The DGHS boss also urged all (commercial) organisations to make masks.
"The three-layered mask could be made using poplin material. It could be reused after washing with soap-water," he said referring to suggestions from the experts.
The DGHS, in a press release, also informed that some 1,350 beds have been prepared in 14 hospitals in Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Barishal, and Rangpur cities for the isolation of coronavirus patients.
It also urged all inbound passengers to self-quarantine for 14 days and contact IEDCR before going to hospital if anybody shows symptoms.
DO NOT RETURN HOME IF NOT URGENT
Meanwhile, Health Minister Zahid Maleque yesterday urged Bangladeshi expatriates not to return home right now in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country.
The minister reiterated his call while giving a brief on the latest situation at his secretariat office in Dhaka yesterday, a day after the WHO announced the coronavirus outbreak as a global pandemic.
He also informed that two of the three COVID-19 patients are now free from the infection.
Others who came in close contact with them are also well.
"The two patients tested novel coronavirus negative in last two tests," the minister said.
He also said the government has brought 10 more thermal scanners to be installed at strategic points at ports where travellers' body temperatures are being checked using hand-held infrared thermometers.
Summit Group handed five thermal scanners over to the ministry yesterday. Earlier on Tuesday, the government supplied five more to different ports across the country.
"We will send these scanners to airports, land ports and sea ports within the next few days to increase its capacity," the minister said, adding that they also have spares.
About the number of infected patients, the health minister said out of three corona virus patients, two have already recovered and will be released any day.
The health ministry also said they did not get any news of any new coronavirus case in Bangladesh but many people have been quarantined.
Addressing a press conference on March 9, the minister also urged Bangladeshi citizens staying abroad, especially in Italy and China, not to return home.
Meanwhile, a total of 617 people has been kept in quarantine in different districts, according to reports from our correspondents.
Of them, 496 are in Chandpur, 109 in Manikganj, and one each in Noakhali and Dinajpur.
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