Reza Mahmud :
The government plans to impose strict lockdown in some areas of Dhaka and other parts of the country where the rate of coronavirus infections are high.
Sources said that the National Technical Advisory Committee, formed to contain coronavirus, suggested the government to mark the Covid-19 hotspots in the capital and other districts as red zone and impose strict lockdown soon.
Public health experts said that they had suggested the government to announce shutdown again and be strict to observe the health directives as the number of infection and death are increasing sharply across the country after lifting of the 66 days shutdown imposed on March 26 and ended on May31.
When contacted, Professor Nazrul Islam, former Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and Member of the national technical committee told The New Nation on Saturday, “The committee submitted recommendations to the government to mark the highly infected areas as red zone and impose shutdown thoroughly as soon as possible to control the serious outbreak of the virus.”
He said, there is no alternative of imposing shutdown. After lifting of the 66 days lockdown, Cox’s Bazar municipality was announced red zone and lockdown imposed there since June 5.
Besides, the government started a trial lockdown in East Rajabazar of the capital since June 10 marking it a red zone as this area also marked a hotspot of the virus infections.
Sources from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said that the government has taken a plan to announce strict lockdown in 49 areas in the capital marking those as red zones.
“The lockdown may be announced from Sunday or Monday,” said an official preferring anonymity.
Officials of DGHS said, areas where minimum 30 people out of one lakh were found coronavirus positive will be marked as red zone and to be brought under lockdown.
They have marked 49 areas of the city as the red zone. They found more than 60 infected people in those areas and the government is going to declare shutdown in those areas.
Sources said, the areas are Adabor, Agargaon, Azimpur, Babubazar, Badda, Banasree, Banani, Bangshal, Basabo, Bashundhara, Chawkbazar, Demra, Dhanmondi, Eskaton, Farmgate, Gandaria, Green Road, Gulshan, Hazaribagh, Jatrabari, Jurain, Kalyanpur, Kalabagan, Kakrail, Kamrangirchar, Khilgaon, Lalbagh, Lalmatia, Malibagh, Mirpur, Mirpur-1, Mirpur-12, Maghbazar, Mohakhali, Mohammadpur, Motijheel, Mugda, Paltan, Rajarbagh, Rampura, Ramna, Shajahanpur, Shahbag, Shyamli, Shantinagar, Sher-e-Banglanagar, Tejgaon, Uttara and Wari.
Besides, State Minister of Public Administration Ministry, Farhad Hossain said, a new announcement regarding the lockdown is coming soon.
A notice may be issued on Sunday (June 14) he said.
He said the government is going to announce complete lockdown in some areas after declaring those as red zone.
He said all employees indiscriminately government and non-government will enjoy vacation during the lockdown.
The State Minister said also that all areas of the red zones will be totally blocked.
“We will arrange coronavirus testing booths in those areas. Foods, Doctors and ambulances also are arranged,” he said.
No one can leave those areas during the lock down, he added.
