Analyzing soaring numbers of coronavirus infection rates in the country public health experts claimed that COVID-19 is rapidly spreading to the community level. They said, as the number of fatalities is increasing day by day, it is very important to keep people at home at this moment to prevent community transmission.
Until Friday, the death toll from the virus in Bangladesh stood at 131. In the meantime, 503 more people tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total number of cases in the country to 4,689. On the contrary, only four recovered from infection on Friday. The Additional Director General (Admin) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Nasima Sultana at the daily health bulletin specified that, “To stop the community transmission, people must stay at their homes.”
“We can only hope to see the growing number of patients come down with your (public) help. Please stay indoors and follow health guidelines,” she appealed. She urged everyone to comply with the regulations regarding Tarabi prayers as well. So far, 65 percent of the total infected patients in the country have been identified in Dhaka division. Of these, 41.20 percent are in the capital and 24 percent in Narayanganj. Even the death toll in Dhaka city and Narayanganj is rising at an alarming rate.
Many people are entering and leaving Dhaka every day under the very nose of the members of the law enforcement agencies. Ordinary people are crowding the streets, markets, parks and teashops in defiance of the government directives. Young people are wandering in the neighborhood, according to our photographers.
Despite the increase in general holidays, the number of vehicles on the road is increasing day by day. Besides, passengers are being carried in the cargo transports and other vehicles. Former World Health Organization (WHO) Southeast Asian region advisor Professor Mozaherul Haque said that although the number of first attacks in Bangladesh was low, no effective measures were taken at that time.
The lockdown could have been enforced much earlier. Due to this, the number of victims is increasing day by day at the community level.
Mentioning, there is a lack of proper planning in Bangladesh, Haque also suggested a two-week crash program to identify infected people across the country. Under this program, the health workers will go from house to house to collect the samples and send them to the laboratories.
In this system, it will be possible to control the community transmission. Otherwise, no result will come in any system. The situation is likely to deteriorate further, he added. Dhaka Medical College (DMC) Professor Khan Md Abul Kalam Azad said that since there is no cure for the corona virus, the prevention is the best way.
“There is a tendency to disobey the rules. Therefore, the prevention plan is not working. At this moment, it is important to pay attention so that the disease does not spread. Otherwise the nation will have to pay a big price.” Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged to peoples, “Please everybody follow the (health) guidelines. If you do it you can keep protected yourselves and similarly (can keep protected) others and life of anybody will not be put at risk.”
“For your small mistake, you may be infected by the virus and you can also transmit the disease to others. So, remain careful so that it doesn’t happen,” she added.