The entire world is now facing struggles to fight against the fast spreading coronavirus which is taking the global death toll higher and higher every day.
Governments of all countries are putting in their intense efforts to contain the pandemic that has claimed more than 6,500 lives and infected over 170,000 people so far.
In these circumstances, the governments are taking steps to isolate and quarantine people at hospitals, makeshift places, or at their homes with a view to halt the spread of the virus.
The authorities of Bangladesh are no exception in this regard.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) have issued a set of directives, requesting the returnees from overseas to follow those while they are in quarantine at their respective homes.
The Press Information Department (PID) published the directives on Sunday.
The directions are as follows:
| Stay separate from other members of the family in a room with enough facility of light and air. If not possible, maintain a distance of three feet from others. | After use, dispose tissue paper and mask into a covered bin and immediately wash hands with soap and water. | Keep yourself busy in reading books, listening to music, watching movies, or in other sort of entertainment (not unethical ones) |
| Use a separate bed for sleeping. | Do not share crockery, glasses, towels, and bedding with anyone. After use, wash them properly. | Clean floors, surfaces of furniture, and bathroom at least once a day with a solution prepared by one litre water and two tablespoons of bleach. The solution can be used within 24 hours. |
| Use a separate bathroom, if possible. If you have to share, ensure there is enough light and air by opening its window. | Refrain from sharing personal belongings with others. | Engage a specific attendant who will stay with the quarantined person in the room or another adjacent room. The attendant, who is in good health and is not suffering from chronic diseases (such as -- diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, asthma, etc) should not touch anything with bare hands in that particular room. |
| Breastfeed your children after washing hands properly and using masks. | In case of children, make them understand. Provide them sufficient toys and disinfect those after play. | Keep mask, gloves, and tissue paper used by the quarantined person into a covered bin and burn those. |
| Keep away from pets. | Maintain daily routines like having meals and light exercises. | Quarantined individual should wash his/her clothes, bed sheet, towels, etc properly with detergent powder or soap and water. Dry those thoroughly |
| Use a mask in case of going out if it is necessary. | Keep in touch with friends and family online or by phone. | Contact immediately with IEDCR through its hotline numbers if any quarantined individual exhibits symptoms like fever (temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit), cough, cold, sore throat, breathing difficulties. Get informed about the next course of action. |
| Open the mask immediately if you come in contact with vomit, cough, spittle, cold, etc and use a new one. | If possible, do official work from home. | Quarantine of an individual will end as per physician's advice. However, the 14-day quarantine might vary for each individual. |
