Reza Mahmud :
Public health experts warned that the next three weeks will be very crucial over coronavirus spreading due to people’s movement during Eid-ul-Fitre.
Public health experts as well religious institutions also asked worshipers to perform Eid prayer at home for the sake of containing the spread of the virus.
“Next three weeks from Thursday (April 21) will be crucial for the country to contain the spread of coronavirus as the people are desperately trying to leave Dhaka to observe Eid-ul-Fitre in village homes,” Professor Nazrul Islam of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, also member of the ‘National Technical Advisory Committee’ formed to advise the government how to restrain coronavirus spreading, told The New Nation.
The expert said, if police failed to stop people’s movement before and after Eid, the contamination will spread seriously across the country which may cause a massive turn of the virus. The whole country will be fallen in a serious risk.
“Till now, it is Dhaka which is in serious condition, but if we failed to follow strict lockdown during Eid-ul-Fitre, the whole country may observe the same dire situation because the contamination will spread everywhere. It will be totally unbearable,” he warned.
“As per the data of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the contamination of the virus is increasing seriously,” Professor Nazrul Islam said.
He said, “On Wednesday, the data showed that 10,207 samples were tested across the country of which 1,617 persons were found infected which were the highest single-day infections. Percentage wise, it was 15.84 percent of infections. Day after on Thursday, the DGHS said, 10,262 samples were tested
when 1,773 new cases of coronavirus infections were found which was 17. 27 percent of infections. It shows the infections have increased nearly two percent in one day. It is alarming.”
The Professor said, people from Dhaka and Chattogram city are leaving for their village homes in different districts through various ways.
It is shown by government data that maximum infections of coronavirus were found in Dhaka city, which is about 55 to 56 percent from the total infections.
In Dhaka division, the infection rate is about 85 percent. Narayangonj, Savar, Gazipur and Narsingdi are the red zone of the Covid-19 as there are huge number of infection detected. The government is giving nearly all of its concentration to Dhaka city and Dhaka division to contain the spread of the virus.
But if the serious influx occurred towards villages from Dhaka during this Eid, the contamination will spread massively across the country. Then the government’s capability to fight against the virus will be divided and weaker then this time, he warned.
The public health expert urged all to stay at homes and observe the holy Eid indoor to save the nation as well every ones own.
The government reopened garment industries showing the people’s financial needs, to restore human livelihoods. But there is no connection of livelihoods to go home to observe Eid.
“Eid going is just affection and tradition and we must have to control such fondness for the sake of protection of lives of the people,” Professor Nazrul Islam said.
When contacted, Professor Dr. ABM Abdullah, Prime Minister’s Personal Physician, told The New Nation, “The Muslims should offer their Eid prayer at homes to avoid religious gathering in this situation of hazardous coronavirus outbreak.”
He said that people of all religions should stay homes strictly. The Muslims should offer their regular prayers also at homes. Similarly, the Hindus, the Buddhists and the Christians should avoid their worshipping centres during these days of emergency, Professor Dr. ABM Abdullah said.
The experts asked the law enforcers to follow zero tolerance strictly refraining people to leave Dhaka and other cities and from coming there after Eid, attentively. Besides, Darul Uloom Deoband, the most influential Islamic religious educational institutes in neighboring India also urged the Muslims to observe their Eid prayer at homes during this time of coronavirus outbreak.
The Darul Uloom Deoband also is influential among the Muslims of Bangladesh as well.
