HC wants to know steps taken to prevent coronavirus

The High Court has asked the government to inform it about measures taken to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus in the country. 

The bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader issued the order with three directives to the government. 

The court also ordered the filing of a progress report to the Ministry of Health and the Department of Health by Monday, and asked them to take necessary steps, including separate cabins for patients at all government and private hospitals.

The bench also wanted to know whether machines used for screening people are effective and whether those tasked with screening are trained.

It also asked the government to import necessary medical equipment for identifying coronavirus patients at all hospitals and ports on an emergency basis.

Supreme Court lawyer Ishrat Hasan drew the High Court’s attention submitting a news report on the matter. 

‘Remain alert so that nobody spreads rumours’

Deputy Attorney General ABM Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar representing the state said the court also directed the government to remain alert so that nobody spreads rumours regarding the viral outbreak and generates panic among people.

The court also said it would issue a suo moto rule, if the Health Ministry and the DGHS are found negligent to this end, Bashar said.

Coronavirus, epicentred in China’s Wuhan city, has infected more than 94,250 people globally and caused 3,214 deaths till on Thursday.

Chinese envoy’s claim about inadequate screening binned

Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control And Research (IEDCR) Director Dr Meerjadi Sabrina Flora declined the statement of the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh about inadequate screening of coronavirus cases.

In a regular press meet at her office in Dhaka on Thursday, she said Ambassador Li Jiming might have been misinformed about a lack of screening on people coming to Bangladesh from abroad. 

“Maybe, he remarked mistakenly about the screening,” she said, adding that the envoy would be informed about the real scenario of the screening. 

At a program on Wednesday, Jiming said special protection should be provided to everyone arriving from different countries to Bangladeshi land and airports in order to prevent coronavirus. 

He said till date Bangladesh has only checked Chinese nationals arriving at ports.

3 Filipino sailors kept in isolation in Mongla

The Mongla Port Authority (MPA) has kept three Filipino sailors of a coal transport ship in isolation, on suspicion of being infected by the coronavirus.

They and other crew members arrived at the port from Indonesia on Thursday, said MPA Harbour Master Commander Sheikh Fakhar Uddin.

The ship, MV SERENITAS N, with a Marshall Islands flag, was anchored in Harbaria of the port, on Thursday.

According to the port authority, the three tested negative for coronavirus after primary inspection, but were kept in separate rooms of the ship as a precautionary measure.

The port’s health officer Sufiya Khatun said they did not find coronavirus infection in the three crew members.

There are 20 foreign nationals serving on the ship and all of them have been asked not to disembark from the ship.

Additionally, the port authority has stopped unloading goods from the ship and ordered Bangladeshi labourers to leave the ship.

A Bangladeshi expatriate quarantined in Sylhet

In Sylhet, a Bangladeshi who returned from Dubai on February 29, was quarantined in Shaheed Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital, on suspicion of having come into contact with coronavirus.

The district’s Deputy Civil Surgeon Nur-E-Alam, attesting to the matter, said the patient first went to a local hospital in the city with a fever, cough, and headache, on Wednesday afternoon. 

But he finally ended up taking admission at the government hospital, where he will be quarantined for two weeks.  

Our correspondents SM Samsur Rahman, Bagerhat and Md Serajul Islam, Sylhet contributed to this report