Positivity rate second highest since outbreak

The Covid situation in Bangladesh is fast taking an ominous turn with the infection rate spiralling tenfold in three weeks.

Yesterday, the positivity rate was 32.37 percent, the second-highest since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in March 2020. On January 3, it was only 3 percent.

In the 24 hours to 8 am yesterday, the health directorate reported 14,828 cases of Covid-19 -- the highest since August 3 last year, when 15,777 cases were registered.

The government is monitoring the situation, and if necessary, would extend the existing embargoes, Farhad Hossain, the state minister for public administration, told journalists at the secretariat yesterday.

In the past week since Sunday, the weekly case detection has increased by about 181 percent.

The caseload may swell even more in February, Hossain said.

"Everyone needs to be aware. We want to get over the third wave as early as possible. That is why everyone needs to follow the health guidelines to combat it," he added.

On Sunday, the government asked all public and private offices to halve the physical presence of officers and staffers.

However, there was a good number of officials and staffers in the secretariat.

Since the order was issued late in the day, the concerned offices could not issue any orders in this regard to their officials, said an official of the cabinet division.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Bank asked banks to run their operation with 50 percent of their employees and introduce an alternate duty roster immediately.

The banking regulator, however, said banks could decide to fix the number of employees as per their requirement to operate essential banking services.

Customers will have to wear facemasks on a mandatory basis while taking service from banks.

On the other hand, all functions of lower courts and tribunals will run with half of their officials and staff members until February 6. The judges will have to work as normal.

The other half of the officials and staffers cannot leave their respective work station as they will have to work by rotation, Supreme Court's Spokesperson Md Saifur Rahman told The Daily Star.