A legal notice has been served to the government to take necessary measures to broadcast special programs with specialist doctors on electronic media to stop the spread of coronavirus and debunk rumors involving the global outbreak.
Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Moniruzzaman Lincon sent the notice to the secretaries of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Information, on Sunday.
In the notice, the lawyer said special measures were needed as there has been a public outcry despite various measures taken to prevent the outbreak at private and public levels.
“There is a need to take special measures to provide prescriptions, and in order to implement the matter, specialist doctors must talk about this problem and its solution to various TV channels, FM radio stations, and local cable network channels,” Advocate Moniruzzaman Lincon told Dhaka Tribune.
"Coronavirus is so new and the impact of this virus on the body is unknown to the common people, panic has been spreading very rapidly. Due to lack of proper understanding of the coronavirus, the disease and its spread is currently being interpreted in various ways, including social media, creating confusion and panic among the people," the notice said.
The notice also added that since the general public has the highest regard for what doctors say and their opinion on medicines, it was important to inform people how they can get services they need at home to combat the outbreak through various channels, including both public and private media, through specialist doctors.
The legal notice also requested the respondents to take proper and immediate step to broadcast special programs in all electronics media within 7 days from the date.
At the same time, the notice also issued a warning that a writ petition will be filed with the High Court in this regard if respondents fail to implement the measures within the stipulated time.