Staff Reporter :
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has suggested Bangladesh to go into lockdown and declare emergency in a bid to check the coronavirus infection.
The WHO experts advised the outgoing mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Mohammad Sayeed Khokon, at a meeting in the city on Saturday.
The WHO suggested the Bangladesh government to lockdown the entire country completely or partially to ensure prevention of the spread of deadly coronavirus across the country in the wake of detection of 24 patients and deaths of two elderly people in the country.
A delegation of WHO and Communicable Disease Control and Protection (SDCP) of the USA, met with DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon at his Banani residence in the afternoon.
Sayeed Khokon made the disclosure while briefing journalists after the meeting.
WHO was also apprehensive that the situation in the country may deteriorate further and said social distancing is necessary right now, he said.
The Mayor said, “We will make sure the information and guidance provided by the WHO reaches the highest policy-making level of the government.”
“Coronavirus can take a very terrible form in Bangladesh. It is high time we combat coronavirus by giving our highest effort according to the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” according to him.
WHO Representative to Bangladesh Dr Bardan Jung Rana, WHO Health Emergencies (WHE) Programme team leader Dr Hammam El Sakka and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States Dr Michel Fredman attended the meeting. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s private physician Dr. ABM Abdullah and the DSCC’s chief health officer Brigadier General Sharif Ahmed were present.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh on Saturday confirmed the second death from COVID-19 and four more cases pushing the number of confirmed coronavirus cases to 24.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque revealed the matter at a press briefing yesterday.
Earlier on March 18, Bangladesh recorded its first death from Covid-19. On that day, the IEDCR announced for the first time the detection of three Covid-19 patients in Bangladesh.
The fast spreading coronavirus has already claimed 11,833 lives and infected 283,748 people globally.
