Despite government ban on all public transport services thousands of people crammed at terminals in the capital as the government on Monday announced a 10-day public holiday from March 26 to April 4. To stop the spread of deadly corona virus infection across the country, on last Thursday, government declared ten-day holiday to stay home.
Now the situation in the country poses biggest threat to spreading of corona virus because of gathering of mass people in the rural areas.
According to them, the way people are returning to the villages is extremely risky. When people were asked to maintain social distance, they returned to the villages crammed in different types of transports.
Earlier, people were fined for not obeying social distancing. Foreign returnees around the country are also roaming freely violating local administration’s mandatory home quarantine order. Former Vice Chancellor and Virologist Professor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Dr Nazrul Islam said, ”The government's decisions on the coronavirus issue have been delayed. There was extreme negligence and failure of the responsible people who could not enforce self-quarantine. Since not everyone can be placed in the institutional quarantine, it was necessary to give utmost importance to ensuring their home quarantine.”
“Now the villages are also at risk,” adding he urged to ensure quarantine of these people who returned to the village on an emergency basis. Former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and coordinator of the National Committee of Corona Prevention Dr ABM Abdullah said, “The return of thousands of people to the village is certainly a threat. Now they have to comply with instructions, such as social distancing.”
Keep yourself completely isolated from family members by keeping social distance, keep everyone safe, he added. The director of the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR)Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora said, There is no way to deny that people who have returned to the village are at risk.
Family members and neighbors must maintain distance with everyone, she added. Director General of the Department of Health Dr Abul Kalam Azad said, the whole world is struggling to deal with the Coronacrisis. We are trying to do our best to deal with the situation. However, not everything is possible for government. The common people have to follow government's instructions. He said the government wants to protect everyone. We urge everyone to comply with the home quarantine.
