Staff Reporter :
The government has decided to shut down all schools and colleges for two weeks in view of the surging cases of coronavirus in the country.
The Cabinet Division issued a notification on Friday citing that schools and colleges across the country will remain shut from 21 January to 6 February.
Universities can take such steps independently, said the notification.
It also restricts all gatherings for any purpose whether social, political, or religious to a maximum of 100 people. The people attending such events will be required to carry Covid-19 vaccine certificate as well as an RT-PCR corona negative certificate has taken within 24 hours of the event.
The authorities at the government and non-government organizations have been instructed to collect the COVID 19 vaccination certificates of employees.
Usage of masks will be mandatory at all public places including bus stands, launch terminals, railway stations, shopping malls, and religious places like mosques. The local administration has been instructed to ensure the implementation of the new instructions.
Meanwhile, single-day infections crossed 10,000 on Thursday with 10,888 new cases of COVID 19 infections and 4 deaths reported from the country. The sample positivity rate was reported at 26.37 percent on Thursday, up from 25.11 percent a day earlier. 12 districts in the country have been declared to come under ‘red zone’ as they have an infection rate between 10-19 percent.
In Bangladesh, schools were closed for 18 months, throughout the entire first year and a half of the Covid-19 pandemic, until 12 September 2021 when they reopened again.
Beyond falling behind on their education, when schools were closed, children missed out on many things – from school meals to routine vaccinations. Some experienced social isolation and increased anxiety. Others were exposed to abuse and violence.
