The government has asked all to stay indoors as the general holidays have been declared for curbing the spread of COVID-19. not for enjoyment.
“The aim of declaring the general holidays from March 26 to April 4 is not to enjoy it rather to resist the spread of coronavirus,” said PM’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus on Tuesday.
The Principal Secretary said this at a press briefing at the Prime Minister’s Office amid the mass exodus of people following the announcement of the 10-day general holiday.
He asked all officials and employees of the government offices and private organisations to stay home and not to leave their work stations.
Mentioning that the government has slapped a ban on movement of public transports, including train, bus and launch, he said, “You please don’t leave your stations. We’re requesting those who have already left not to go outside their homes.”
The Principal Secretary asked all to get sanitised and take all sorts of preventive measures if they have to go outside for any emergency work.
He said all the essential services of government offices will remain open.
Stressing that maintaining social distancing is very important to prevent infection of COVID-19, he asked everyone to keep at least three-feet distance from others.
Dr Kaikaus said the government has taken all the necessary measures so that the public life is not hampered.
He said kitchen markets, food and medicine shops, hospitals and other emergency services will remain open during the period.
The Principal Secretary said the open market Sale (OMS) of essential commodities is there for low-income people. The deputy commissioners were given the allocation to assist the low-income people in the current situation, he added.
“Whenever it’s necessary, our administration will provide the assistance and the officials of the government and the public representatives will go from door to door,” he said.
“So, stay home following the government policy to curb the virus,” said Dr Kaikaus adding that currently the world’s main advice is ‘staying at home’ to stop the spread of coronavirus.
PM’ Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim was present at the press briefing.
Later, the Principal Secretary provided instructions to all the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners over the coronavirus pandemic through a videoconferencing from the Prime Minister’s Office in the afternoon.
So far, 39 people have been detected with COVID-19 infection and four people died being infected with the virus in Bangladesh, according to the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).
