The government has adopted an integrated public health strategy to control and prevent Covid-19 in Bangladesh, keeping a balance between the losses and the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said.
Replying to a question raised by Chittagong 11 lawmaker M Abdul Latif in parliament on Wednesday, the prime minister said the Covid-19 pandemic brought the entire world to a standstill, hitting global economy hard, and Bangladesh is no different.
The effects of the novel coronavirus, which is causing the often fatal Covid-19 infection around the world, on the country is becoming more and more evident every day, she further added.
“The government already put many preventive and counteractive measures into action to tackle the impact [of Covid-19]. Due to the quick implementation of the right strategies, the crisis is still under control in our country,” the leader of the House told parliament.
The prime minister took part in the &A session before the parliament session began for the day, presided over by House Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Bangla Tribune reports.
Sheikh Hasina said the global healthcare system and economy are facing an unprecedented crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Even the developed nations are struggling to tackle its impacts. Till date, no cure or vaccine to fight the virus has been discovered,” she said.
Therefore, using masks, maintaining cough etiquette and social distancing, following the rules of home and institutional quarantine, and proper medical treatment form the government’s Covid-19 strategy to prevent, control, and containing the disease, she added.
She said while lockdowns are an effective strategy to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, they can adversely affect the economy, employment, mental health, and social order if they are enforced for a long period of time.
The prime minister pointed out that a large part of the country’s population is daily wage earners. In such a situation, unemployment and poverty may spike uncontrollably and cause even more deaths, she added.
In order to prevent that, an integrated strategy has been adopted, balancing both Covid-19 losses and the economic trouble it has caused, the prime minister said.
Responding to a question raised by Bhola 2 constituency MP Ali Azam, Hasina said the government was continuing the distribution of aid across the country amid the coronavirus crisis.
She also mentioned that since the crisis started in Bangladesh, nearly 23,553,055 families have been provided with relief till date.
To protect the marginal population, 211,167 tons of rice and around Tk25.87 crore have been allocated, to benefit 1,836,800 people.
In addition, Tk27.14 crore has been allocated for children’s food only, benefiting 142,778 children.
In answer to Bogra 5 lawmaker Habibur Rahman’s question, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the government was making multi-lateral efforts to resolve the crisis faced by Bangladesh migrant workers in different countries.
Replying to Jessore 3 MP Kazi Nabil Ahmed, she said the government was working through diplomatic channels to ensure that the Bangladesh migrant workers can regain their employment post-Covid-19.
She further mentioned that, because of the Covid-19 outbreak, 14,957 expatriate Bangladeshis have been brought back home from different countries as of June 12, mostly from the Middle East, Malaysia, the Maldives, and Singapore.
