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Published : 09 Jun 2025, 10:30 PM
The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has requested all metro rail passengers to put on masks amid concerns over a potential rise in COVID-19 infections in Bangladesh.
In a notice issued on Monday, the company responsible for operating Dhaka metro rail said: “To prevent the spread of coronavirus, metro rail passengers are being specially requested to wear masks.”
Earlier, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued precautionary measures in response to a surge in cases of new sub-variants of COVID-19 in several neighbouring countries, including India.
The authorities have advised against non-essential travel to India and other countries experiencing virus outbreaks. At the same time, increased health screening and monitoring have been instructed at all land and airports to help contain the risk.
The rate of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh has been steadily declining since 2022.
The number of cases had dropped to nearly zero by the following year. As a result, the mandatory mask-wearing policy was lifted at that time.
However, recent developments show a renewed rise in COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh.
The coronavirus, which first emerged in China on Dec 31, 2019, spread to Bangladesh two months later. For the next three years, the country witnessed waves of concern and panic, with strict health protocols enforced, including mandatory mask-wearing.
During that period, lockdowns emptied cities and towns, with offices, courts and educational institutions operating online, leaving many people unemployed.
Strict restrictions were imposed at borders and airports, international flights were suspended and the global supply chain collapsed. The dollar appreciated, leading to a sharp rise in the prices of essential goods.
Hospitals across the country became overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, resulting in significant loss of life. After about three years of crisis, the infection rate began to decline, and life gradually started to return to normal.
Recently, the spread of a new variant of the virus, known as “NB.1.8.1”, has been reported. Indian states such as Kerala, Gujarat, West Bengal and Delhi are now considered virus hotspots. In a single day, India also recorded six deaths from COVID-19.
Amid these developments, the DGHS reported the first death due to COVID-19 in Dhaka on Thursday — the first such fatality in nearly one and a half years.
To prevent further spread, the health ministry urged the public to wear masks in crowded places.
Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Bangladesh has tested 15,726,224 samples, confirming a total of 2,051,739 COVID-19 cases.
Of these, 29,500 people have died from the infection.
In 2023, as many as 37 people died due to COVID-19 after 1,368 had died in 2022.
The virus caused 7,559 fatalities in 2020 before another 20,513 people died in 2021, registering the deadliest year of the pandemic in Bangladesh.
