Workers raising a barricade at an access to East Rajabazar as it becomes the first area in Dhaka to go into lockdown on Tuesday midnight as part of efforts to limit the coronavirus outbreak after the reopening of economy following a two-month nationwide shutdown.
The government has directed all mayors to prepare for zone-based lockdown restrictions to tackle the rampant coronavirus outbreak in Bangladesh.
Local Government Minister Md Tajul Islam handed out instructions to the mayors of city corporations in a virtual meeting on Wednesday night.
He urged the mayors to stay on the side of the people and tackle all kinds of disasters with urgency.
Tajul emphasised dividing the coronavirus-hit areas into sub-zones and impose restrictions on those with high infection and mortality rates rather than enforcing blanket lockdowns.
“If 200 among 100,000 people in a ward are infected with the virus, it will be easier to work if only the areas occupied by the infected persons are put under lockdown.”
Committees headed by ward councillors alongside prominent members of the community, imams of mosques and social workers could be formed to manage the sub-zones, he said, adding there was no alternative to involving the locals in implementing the lockdown.
The minister instructed officials to open a control room at a convenient place in the locked-down area and distribute the mobile number of the control room among the people in the area.
“The health ministry has the authority to declare red, yellow and green zones to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. It is not the responsibility of the local government department to declare zones or sub-zones.”
Once a zone-based lockdown is announced, the local government department must properly carry out the assigned responsibilities, he said.
Tajul also advised the mayors to take joint decisions by holding regular meetings with the relevant departments or agencies of the government and seek the cooperation of the ministry, if necessary, in this regard.
Source: bdnews24.com
