The US Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday provided essential personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Gulshan Crime Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) as part of continued US support for Bangladesh’s Covid-19 response efforts.
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller and Embassy representatives of the Diplomatic Security Service handed over the PPE to Shudip Kumar Chakraborty, deputy commissioner of police of the Gulshan Crime Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
The US said it remains committed to working in partnership alongside Bangladesh to fight this pandemic and to further strengthen the two countries’ already deep ties.
The Gulshan Crime Division is on the frontline of defence against Covid-19.
It plays a key role in Bangladesh’s Covid-19 response as it implements the government initiatives and safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The PPE donation helps protect police in their role as first responders, safeguarding communities and people living in Bangladesh, said the embassy.
Also Read - Covid-19: 100 US-made ventilators arrive in Dhaka
To date, the US, through the Departments of State, Defence, and Agriculture; USAID; and the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention has provided more than $68.7 million in aid to combat coronavirus in Bangladesh.
The US Embassy-provided equipment include 2,000 washable face masks, 450 250-millilitre bottles of medical-grade hand sanitiser, and 1,000 face shields, which the US purchased locally from Bangladeshi companies.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, the US government, through the Department of State and USAID alone, has committed more than $1.6 billion worldwide in emergency health, humanitarian, economic, and development assistance specifically aimed at helping governments, international organisations, and NGOs fight the pandemic.
The US Embassy, Dhaka is providing assistance to organisations throughout Bangladesh, building on more than $1 billion in health assistance delivered to Bangladesh over the past 20 years.
This funding emphasises the long-term US commitment to helping ensure access for all people in Bangladesh to quality, lifesaving healthcare, said the embassy.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Gulshan Crime Division and other law enforcement personnel, together with health care workers, customs officials, people who work in grocery stores and pharmacies, journalists, and volunteer organisations perform remarkable acts of service every day; they are genuine heroes.