The Covid-19 infection rate in Bangladesh is rising every day because of people’s disregard for hygiene rules, Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said.
“We have been raising awareness since the daily infections started increasing, but no one is paying any heed to our advice,” the minister said at an event in Dhaka on Sunday.
The government will issue a notification by Monday imposing some restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus, he said. “Given the rate at which infections are jumping, some tough decisions have to be taken.”
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Mentioning that the government currently has 60 million Covid-19 vaccine doses in hand, Maleque said people’s interest in getting inoculated has waned.
“Vaccination has reduced the mortality rate [from Covid-19], but the transmission of the virus cannot be kept in check if people are unwilling to wear masks,” said the health minister.
Bangladesh on Saturday recorded 1,116 new Covid-19 cases with an infection rate of 5.79%, up from the previous day’s 5.69%.
A test positivity of over 5% is a key concern for any country, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).