A prayer for our students in China

My heart goes out to the Bangladeshi students who, among others, have been reportedly under lockdown in their dorms and residences in China for the last few days following the outbreak of the Coronavirus, which has claimed at least 41 lives and infected over 1,300 as I write this letter. My son too once lived in a different country for education purposes, and I can only imagine what is going through the minds of the parents of those students now. If you are reading this in China, I want you to know that you are in our prayers. Don’t lose hope no matter what. At the same time, I urge the government to request the Bangladesh mission in China to take whatever steps necessary to ensure the safe return of our children. The longer they stay there, the more prone they will be to the life-threatening virus.

Shaila Hoq, Dhaka