Ekushey Book Fair to open Feb 1 with health restrictions in place

The Bangla Academy is making preparations to open the Ekushey Book Fair on Feb 1 while imposing health restrictions on the event.

“We are taking all the necessary preparations to open the book fair on Feb 1,” Mohammad Nurul Huda, the director-general of the Bangla Academy, said on Monday. Stalls are being prepared for the event.

“Publishers and sellers have begun submitting their fees for the stalls. Once that is complete, we will hold the lottery and then assign the publishers to the stalls and pavilions.”

The construction of the stalls is underway on the Bangla Academy premises and Suhrawardy Udyan. Like last time, a large section of the Suhrawardy Udyan is being used to build structures for the event.

The 2021 book fair was delayed by a month and a half due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The spread of the new omicron variant of the disease stoked fears of more infections and has led to the Bangladesh government announcing several new restrictions.

Despite this, the Bangla Academy wants to hold a large event like last year, but with health regulations.

Though preparations are underway for the event to open on Feb 1, the eventual decision will depend on the situation at the time and the government’s measures, said Jalal Uddin, director of Bangla Academy and the member secretary of the Book Fair Management Committee.

“We hope the book fair will take place,” he said.

Publishers and sellers will be informed about their stalls and the pavilion setup on Jan 13.