The National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 recommended limiting mass gatherings and travel bans on countries where the Omicron variant had spread.

Individuals who arrived in Bangladesh from any of those countries in the last 14 days should be in institutional quarantine, the committee said in a press release.

Use of face masks should be ensured everywhere, including in educational institutions, it added.

There should be better treatment arrangements at hospitals and political, social and religious mass gatherings should be limited, read the press release.

As of last night, the Civil Aviation Authority had not issued any travel ban.

"There will be an inter-ministerial meeting in this regard on Tuesday. Decisions will be made there," said Health Minister Zahid Maleque.

New coronavirus variant Omicron has already spread to multiple countries including the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Botswana, Israel, Australia and Hong Kong.

Among these, Bangladesh has direct flights with only the UK.

Countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas have imposed curbs on people's movement and issued travel bans on southern African countries.

"It is a matter of great concern. Transmission will definitely rise if we do not adhere to the health rules," Mohammad Shahidullah, president of the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) told reporters after yesterday's meeting.

The NTAC also recommended free Covid tests to encourage more people to get tested.

The government currently charges Tk100 for each PCR test while the private laboratories charge Tk 3,000.

After the NTAC meeting, Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora, additional director general (planning and development), said, "We will inform you of our decision soon. We are watching the global situation. The information we received indicates that the variant spreads faster, but its severity is not that high."

She said screening procedures at airports, land ports and seaports have been strengthened.

About preparedness at hospitals, she said, "Oxygen supply is an important issue. We have been working on it."

The spread of the Delta variant in May caused the number of new cases and deaths to soar until the end of July, forcing the government to impose strict restrictions. The government lifted those on August 19.

Since then, the health safety guidelines have been largely ignored.

The health directorate yesterday reported 205 new cases and three deaths across the country.

"The way to prevent the virus is to maintain health safety rules irrespective of the variant. But the number of mass gatherings and people going outdoors without masks have increased," Prof Flora told reporters.

The government has so far inoculated only 20.81 percent of the population with two shots, and 33.46 percent got the first shot.

DGHS CIRCULAR

The health directorate has requested everyone concerned to implement precautionary measures in response to the spread of new Omicron variant in different countries.

In a circular issued last night, the DGHS asked for strengthening the health checkups and screening at the ports for the passengers coming from Omicron-affected countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, and Lesotho.

"All types of mass gathering [social, political, religious and others] has to be discouraged," read the circular signed by Prof Nazmul Islam, director (disease control) at the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

It said restaurants and recreation places should be at half capacity.

The DGHS also urged people to maintain health safety guidelines at all places, including educational, religious establishments, and offices.