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Bangladesh panel wants to restore restrictions to counter COVID surge
The National Technical Advisory Committee on COVID-19 has recommended restoring safety measures to counter a new rise in COVID cases across Bangladesh.
Published : 16 June 2022, 05:22 AM
Updated : 16 June 2022, 05:22 AM
The panel suggested that COVID-19 negative certificates and vaccine certificates be made mandatory for travellers coming to Bangladesh.
It also pressed for restrictions on public gatherings, compulsory mask wearing and reintroduction of the 'no mask, no service' policy, said Dr Mohammad Shahidullah, president of the committee.
The proposals were put forward to the government during the 58th meeting of the committee on Wednesday, Shahidullah said in a press release.
Bangladesh registered 232 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, the highest daily count since Mar 17.
As many as 5,986 samples were tested across the country, for a positivity rate of 3.88 percent.
Among the eight divisions, Dhaka recorded the highest number of cases, with 219 infections.
The overall tally of infections currently stands at 1,954,637 and the death toll from the disease at 29,131.
In November 2020, the government made it mandatory for travellers to Bangladesh to carry COVID-19 negative certificates. The rule was lifted recently after a fall in coronavirus cases.
The health department said on Mar 9 that travellers who had taken at least two doses of vaccine would not require COVID-19 negative certificates to enter Bangladesh. But it is no longer safe to allow such passengers into the country, said the advisory committee.
The panel said that the virus is spreading in Bangladesh through people from countries where the rate of infection is high.
It said that necessary measures must be undertaken in air, land and sea ports. Rapid antigen tests should be arranged for those believed to have the coronavirus.
The committee also said that people suffering from colds and coughs are no longer testing for COVID. As a result, preventive measures are not being taken and infections are increasing.
Globally, over 536.65 million people have been infected by the novel coronavirus and 6.31 million have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
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