Reza Mahmud :
World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the covid virus might appear as a Tsunami across the globe because the new variant Omicron is on surge in different countries.
The world body also announced that the Omicron variant is more contagious than the Delta and others.
Meanwhile, neighbouring India has announced red alert in its capital city of New Delhi and initiated different restrictions in Kolkata as the Omicron infection are increasing sharply there.
Besides, there are about 10 people to be infected with Omicron variant of the Covid-19 so far in Bangladesh.
In these situations, the people of Bangladesh are in panic over spreading of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
The economists and business people are also in anxiety over the spreading as they fear of imposing another phase of lockdown or such restrictions.
Public health experts have suggested to maintain health safety measures to contain the spreading of the dangerous variant.
They mainly suggested blocking entry points of the country including all ports like land, maritime and airports strictly in this regard.
When contacted, public health expert Dr. Lenin Chowdhury told The New Nation on Sunday, “All airports, land and maritime ports must have to be well designed with RT PCR testing facilities so that no passenger can enter the country without proper testing.”
He said, people who enter Bangladesh from countries where the Omicron spreading is found, must have to keep in institutional quarantine for minimum 14 days.
He warned that the quarantine cases might not be like the previous incidents whereas the returned people stayed different hotel in nominal only.
The expert also suggested for vaccination minimum by 70 to 80 pc of the people.
When contacted, Professor Dr. M. Muzaherul Huq, former Advisor of the World Health Organisation told The New Nation on Sunday, “All new entries in Bangladesh by air, sea or land route be closed as all schools colleges salons are being closed in West Bengal.”
We must make our borders safe from sick or infected persons and to stop our people to India, the professor suggested.
He said also, Omicron the new variant is more transmissible than Delta and other variants. It is essential that we take all precautions to prevent its spread.
Both the experts said, that the spreading of the variant can contain by creating serious public awareness and involving people in the efforts of mass campaigning about maintaining health safety rules.
The ways of prevention are proper use of masks and hand sanitisation. Further is to self distancing, they said.
