Stop price hike of mask, handwash: HC
Expressing dissatisfaction at the two digital thermal scanners at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport being out of order, the High Court yesterday directed the government to take steps to set up adequate thermal scanners at all ports for coronavirus screening.
During hearing a suomuto (voluntary) rule, the court ordered the authorities concerned of the government to take necessary steps to stop price hike of masks, handwash, hand sanitiser etc, or storing them to make extra profits later.
The government can run mobile courts in order to prevent an artificial crisis or price hike of these items, the bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader said.
The judges said the authorities must remain careful and take necessary steps so that nobody can carry on unusual business practices and make extra money with selling things like masks, handwash and sanitisers, like that of onion.
The bench ordered the government to create awareness among people about coronavirus through advertisements on electronic and print media.
It asked authorities concerned to issue clearance certificates for people coming from coronavirus-affected countries to Bangladesh after screening.
The court said the briefing of Institute of Epidemiology, Diseases Control and Research (IEDCR) about the coronavirus needs to be more specific and told in a way that does not lead to panic.
The HC judges said they will keep the issue regarding coronavirus and fixed April 5 for passing further order on this issue.
The bench came up with the directives and observations after going through a government report about its preparations to contain a potential coronavirus outbreak.
Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Abdullah-Al-Mahmud Bashar submitted the report and read out it before the bench after collecting the report from Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The judges said the government's initiatives in tackling the virus are commendable, but there is a lacking in preparedness to restrain its spread as two of the three digital thermal scanners at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport are out of order.
During the hearing, Barrister Moudud Ahmed, a senior lawyer and former law minister, who was present in the courtroom, told the HC that the government has realised the scale of coronavirus spread, but dishonest traders are hiking the price of a mask worth Tk 10 to Tk 120.
Barrister Moudud requested the court to pass an order telling the government to provide masks to people, free of cost.
The HC then said it is not possible for the government to give masks to 16 crore people of the country.
The government may consider providing masks to coronavirus affected or suspected people at zero cost, said the HC.
Everyone coming from abroad is being screened at all ports across the country and Coronavirus identification tests are being carried out at IEDCR's laboratory at zero cost, the report said.
DGHS said in the report that IEDCR has the capacity to collect samples from any place in the country and multiple laboratories are at the ready to test for the virus.
It said there are three digital thermal scanners at Hazrat International Airport in Dhaka, but two of them are out of order.
Purchase of five digital thermal scanners is under process and one digital thermal scanner has already been set up, DGHS said in the report.
Earlier on March 5, the HC bench issued the suomuto rule and sought detailed information on the steps taken by the government to contain any possible outbreak of coronavirus in the country.
The bench passed the order after Supreme Court lawyer Ishrat Hasan placed a report run by Bangla daily Prothom Alo that day on the risk of a coronavirus outbreak before the HC bench and sought its necessary order.
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