Govt imposes lockdown to halt spread of COVID-19: Maleque

Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said the government has imposed countrywide lockdown incorporating 11-point restrictions to combat sharp rise of COVID-19 pandemic.

“People should extend their cooperation to the government for implementing seven-day lockdown to fight the deadly virus,” he made the comments while visiting Dhaka North City Corporation Market Hospital at city’s Mohakhali, an official release said.

Secretary of Health Service Division Lokman Hossain Mian and Director General of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, among others, were present on the occasion.

Maleque said, “If we will not follow health guidelines issued by the government, both COVID-19 fatality and infection may rise in an alarming rate. I am urging the people to follow health rules strictly to protect themselves from the lethal virus.”

Preparatory works for installing 200 ICU beds and 1,000 isolation beds Dhaka North City Corporation Market Hospital are underway, he said adding, “We are expecting to run the hospital within next two weeks.”

The health minister said the government is carefully dealing with the pandemic through improving healthcare system in the country. Despite multiple efforts taken by the government, people must abide by health codes to fight the deadly disease, he added.

The seven-day lockdown began on April 5 (yesterday) across the country to halt the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The Cabinet Division issued the circular with some 11 directives to be implemented during the seven-day lockdown.

Starting from 6:00 am on April 5, the directives will remain in force till 12:00 midnight of April 11.

Earlier, on March 29, the government issued 18-point directive to stop outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.

Bangladesh recorded 66 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths and 7,213 fresh cases overnight, the highest number in terms of both fatality and infection in a single day.

“The tally of infections has surged to 6,51,652 as 7,213 new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours . . . 66 people died of COVID-19 during the period,” Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in its routine daily statement said.