Curbs extended to cut virus spread

With the Covid positivity rate surging in bordering districts, the government has extended the countrywide restrictions for 10 more days to check virus transmission.

The Cabinet Division yesterday issued a gazette notification to this effect, saying no social, political and religious gatherings will be allowed till June 16.

All tourist spots, resorts, and community and entertainment centres will remain closed during the period, it mentioned.

Restaurants and food shops are allowed to stay open from 6:00am to 10:00pm every day. Restaurants can provide either dine-in or takeaway services but the dine-in will be limited to half of the seating capacity.

Earlier, there had been no time limit for operation of restaurants and food shops.

According to the notification, public transports, including inter-districts buses, will carry passengers at half capacity, maintaining the health safety rules.

The government has asked all the authorities concerned to take proper measures in this regard.

It mentioned that the deputy commissioners of the high-risk districts, in consultation with the committees concerned, will take necessary steps to contain the spread of the virus.

Yesterday, the Covid positivity rate was around 30 percent in six districts -- Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi, Satkhira, Chuadanga, Noakhali and Bagerhat.

The situation in 36 more districts is also alarming as the positivity rate in those districts was 10 percent or above.

The rate was above 20 percent in Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna divisions. In Dhaka division, it was around 6 percent, the lowest among the eight divisions.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said special instructions were given to the officials concerned in the bordering districts to properly ensure quarantine and isolation in their areas to cut virus transmission.

The authorities got alarmed following confirmation of community transmission of the Delta variant, popularly known as the Indian variant of Covid, in Bangladesh.

Since the first case of the Indian variant was detected in the country on May 8, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and the Institute for Developing Science and Health Initiatives (ideSHi) have completed genome sequencing of 50 coronavirus samples. And of those, 40 turned out to be the Indian variant.

Among those infected with the Delta variant, 14 had neither gone abroad nor come in contact with people who had not been to any foreign country in recent times.

Md Sayedur Rahman, chairman of the pharmacology department at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), said the restrictions are inadequate to tackle the situation.

"We are sitting on a volcano. It may erupt anytime. In such a situation, tougher restrictions are required."

Inadequate restrictions, irresponsible behaviour of people, and almost zero vaccination have made the situation grim, he told this newspaper.

DEATHS, NEW CASES

Thirty-eight people died from Covid in 24 hours till 8:00am yesterday, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

With this, the total number of deaths in the country reached 12,838. And the death rate stood at 1.58 percent.

At least 1,676 new infections were recorded during the same period, taking the total number to 810,990, said a press release issued by the DGHS.

The Covid positivity rate was 10.73 percent while the overall positivity rate was 13.41 percent.

A total of 15,613 samples were tested across the country in 24 hours till 8:00am yesterday.

At least 1,897 Covid patients recovered during the period. The total number of recoveries now stands at 751,322.

Among the 38 dead, 25 were men and 13 women. Of them, 23 were above 60, 11 were between 41 and 60, and the rest below 40, mentioned the press release.

COVID TESTS AT NEW FACILITY

Bangladeshi nationals going abroad will be able to give samples for Covid test at a new facility at the army stadium in the capital.

The health directorate opened it as the coronavirus sample collection centre in the city's Mohakhali has been turned into a Covid-dedicated hospital, said Prof Mohammad Robed Amin, spokesperson for the DGHS.

He said this yesterday in a virtual bulletin on the Covid situation in the country.

The Mohakhali centre was the only government-run facility in the capital where the migrant workers going abroad could give samples for Covid tests.

Such government-run facilities are also there in 14 districts for the migrant workers.

Besides, 34 private sample collection centres have been set up across the country for them.