Staff Reporter :
The authorities have beefed up surveillance in Narayanganj to enforce shutdown in the district one of the hotspots of the spread of coronavirus in Bangladesh with 83 people so far found infected there till Saturday.
As the district went into complete lockdown since April 8, police on Saturday set up checkpoints at key points of the city to make sure that no one enters or leaves the area.
The law enforcers are visilant in all the check posts. They are sending people back home immediately with a warning if anyone is going outside without an emergency.
But there were just a few people in the streets and alleys of Narayanganj city. The streets were as silent as a grave. However, police patrols were strongly visible at different points of the city.
Meanwhile, since the announcement of lockdown in Narayanganj, people of other districts including Narsingdi, Kurigram, Chandpur – who came here for a living – are secretly trying to go home at night by roads and waterways. Already one of the two infected apparel workers – who returned to Narsingdi from Narayanganj – died. And the area has been under shutdown since then. The same scenes were observed in other districts where people from Narayanganj fled in the dark of the night.
To make sure that no one enters or leaves Narayanganj by roads or waterways, the patrol of the law enforcers has been toughened up, said Jayedul Alam, Narayanganj District Superintendent of Police.
“Siddhirganj Police Station seized a truck, carrying 30 to 40 people from Narayanganj to another district on Thursday night. Fatullah police also intercepted a covered-van from Munshiganj on which some tried to enter Narayanganj. The people from Munshiganj were sent back to where they came from and those who tried to go to other parts of the country, from Narayanganj, were cautioned and sent back home.”
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Army have joined the police in patrolling the streets and alleys of the city to enforce the lockdown. Additional Superintendent of Police and Senior Assistant Director of RAB Adamji headquarters Alep Uddin said, “Muslim devotees of the city have been warned not to overcrowd the mosques during the Friday prayers.”
Meanwhile, the Civil Surgeon and two other health officials of Narayanganj district were tested positive for Covid-19.
Dr Asaduzzaman, Residential Medical Officer of the Government General (Victoria) Hospital on Saturday confirmed the corona infection of three officials.
The Covid-19 infected officials are Dr Mohammad Imtiaz, Member Secretary of District Corona Prevention Committee and District Civil Surgeon, Dr Muhammad Abdul Quader, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer (UHFPO) of Bandar upazila, and Dr Jahidul Islam, Narayanganj Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer.
Dr Asaduzzaman said, on Friday afternoon they received the test results of Dr Mohammad Imtiaz and Dr Muhammad Abdul Quader and both were found Covid-19 infected while Dr Jahidul Islam was tested positive for coronavirus earlier.
Civil Surgeon Dr Mohammad Imtiaz has been staying at home quarantine since Wednesday last, after tested corona positive. Now he remains in isolation, Dr Asaduzzaman added.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Quader also remains in isolation.
Narayanganj DC Jasim Uddin has also been staying at home quarantine since April 8, but he was tested negative for Corona infection.
Besides, civil society members and local public representatives demanded the setup of a coronavirus testing lab and arrangement of test kits at the hospital.
