What to expect from Hasina’s address to nation?

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to address the nation a day before Independence Day amid fears of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The speech will be broadcast on state-run media at 7:30pm on Wednesday, Hasina’s press aide Ihsanul Karim told bdnews24.com.

As the world continues to go under lockdown to battle the pandemic, Hasina is expected to outline measures to contain the disease and its impact on the economy in her speech.

“We cannot take any impulsive decision now. We have to take comprehensive preparations and plan when to do what,” Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said on Mar 23, when he was asked whether Hasina could declare a lockdown in her speech.

On Wednesday, the global death toll from the coronavirus hit 18,918 with the number of infections rising to 423,121, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Bangladesh confirmed another death due to the infection on Wednesday, taking the number of deaths to five but no cases of infection were reported in the last 24 hours.

There is uneasiness surrounding the risks of a rapid spread in a densely populated country like Bangladesh. The shutdown of all education centres and a ban on public gatherings came initially. The government then declared a shutdown of all offices with a 10-day general holiday from Mar 26. Local trains, passenger launches and domestic flights have been suspended since Tuesday.

“Necessary steps will be taken in due course. The prime minister will definitely tell the nation what is necessary to say,” Quader added on Tuesday.