THOUGH government has imposed a lockdown in Cox’s Bazar district, where over a million Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar are living in 34 refugee camps, experts have warned the disease could spread quickly through the alleys of the settlements. Recently, a section of media reported that several hundred Rohingyas were freshly trying to enter Bangladesh being forced by Myanmar border police. There are widespread apprehensions that many of the Rohingyas, those tried to enter Cox’s Bazar, may have infected by coronavirus. The coronavirus pandemic has infected at least 2,114,846 people across the globe whereabout 141,150 people have died. In Bangladesh, most of the refugees are in need of masks, sanitizers and other essential items in the camps. Very few of them wash their hands and faces properly due to lack of awareness. Children play on the muddy grounds the entire day, and get back to the tents in the evening dirty.
A few days back, Communications Officer of UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Louise Donovan said, “The UNHCR has taken the situation very seriously and is closely monitoring.” Focusing on combined efforts, she said Bangladesh’s Health Ministry had completed and validated a national response plan to contain the virus. The European Rohingya Council had expressed concerns over the safety of Rohingya refugees in the camps. According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017, pushing the number of persecuted people in Bangladesh above 1.2 million.
The authorities concerned must remain cautious about the possible outbreak of the disease in the densely populated refugee camps. It will create a total disaster for the entire locality, if the virus spreads.
