The National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19 has recommended the postponement of Eid-ul-Azha cattle markets in four districts, including Dhaka, as the transmission of the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in these districts are yet to be brought under control.
The three other districts are Narayanganj, Gazipur and Chittagong.
The recommendation was announced through a press release, signed by NTAC President Dr Mohammad Sahidullah, issued on Friday.
"We recommend not to set up any cattle market in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, and Chittagong as the situation with the contagious coronavirus is yet to be brought under control in these districts,” the press release said.
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It also urged for the strict implementation of health safety guidelines in the four districts.
The recommendation comes at a time when the government has announced that cattle markets will be set up in Dhaka. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has already sent a draft of cattle market health safety guidelines to the ministry concerned.
The draft guidelines have two parts – the first part carries directions for cattle market management committees, and the second part carries directions for the sellers and buyers.
According to the draft guidelines, cattle markets that are being set up for Eid-ul-Azha must keep separate entrance and exit ways for the visitors and traders to reduce crowding and the spread of Covid-19.
Wearing masks has been made mandatory and children, the elderly, and people with fever, cough, and cold have been barred from visiting the markets. Several safety measures have been proposed.
NTAC has recommended that cattle markets be set up in open spaces outside the cities and that all the cattle be sacrificed at a specific place designated by local authorities.
