Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque has advised everyone to refrain from going outside their homes without wearing a mask to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The minister made the public service announcement on Saturday while visiting the dedicated ‘corona beds’ at Kurmitola General Hospital located in the capital.
“The coronavirus situation has become a global crisis now. Nine people have tested positive for the virus and two have died today in our country. There is no alternative to staying cautious all the time,” he said.
“Everyone must maintain social distancing. People should not go outside the confines of their homes. But if they really have to, they must go outside wearing a mask,” he added.
The minister commented that people are still reluctant to avoid public gatherings despite being instructed to do so repeatedly.
“People are even standing on roads to pray as mosques are packed during the Jumma prayers. This is very undesirable at this moment. Even Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iran have prohibited praying at mosques but people of our country are refusing to do the same,” the minister said.
Maleque further remarked that it will be difficult to contain the spread of the virus if people continue to be dismissive of such rules.
Responding to a statement that people are not receiving treatment even for common diseases in private hospitals or clinics, the minister said it is a sad matter.
“If it continues, the government will also be forced to take drastic action against them, including the cancellation of licenses,” he added.
Healthcare Division Secretary Asadul Islam, Health Education and Family Welfare Division Secretary Ali Noor, Bangladesh Society of Medicine General Secretary Dr Ahmedul Kabir, and director of Kurmitola General Hospital, were among others present during the visit.
The health minister’s instructions about masks came following the recommendation of the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for wearing masks in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, such as in grocery stores or pharmacies.
However, the World Health Organization, on their website, still says that a healthy person only needs to wear a mask if they are taking care of a person with suspected Covid-19 infection or if a person is coughing or sneezing.
Nevertheless, they are reportedly considering changing guidance on whether people should wear face masks in public, in light of new evidence which suggests that doing so could help contain the pandemic, according to reports in the Guardian.
In Bangladesh, 70 people have tested positive for coronavirus and there have been eight recorded deaths from coronavirus infection so far, while 30 have recovered.
The fast spreading Covid-19 has claimed more than 61,000 lives and infected over 1,139,000 globally, according to Worldometer.
