Covid-19 infections may see a peak in March and therefore the government is mulling some adjustments in its overall plans
File photo of students taking the SSC exams Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune
Tribune Report
Publish : 08 Jan 2022, 11:42 PMUpdate : 08 Jan 2022, 11:57 PM
The government has no plan to close educational institutions across the country right now despite the fact that Covid-19 cases are on the rise across the world.
“Covid infections are on the rise in many countries but it is still under control in Bangladesh. The government has no plan to close educational institutions right now,” said Health Minister Zahid Maleque.
The minister was talking to reporters at a programme in Manikganj on Saturday.
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, in a similar tone, said in the capital on Saturday that the government had no plan to close educational institutions at present.
“We do not want to close educational institutions right now. We rather want our children to go to their respective institutions after they take vaccine shots,” Dipu Moni said.
While talking about children under-12, the minister said the government would take a decision in this regard. "We will sit with the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19 on Sunday and discuss the overall situation," she said while replying to a query.
Dipu Moni said that Covid-19 infections might see a peak in March and therefore the government was mulling some adjustments in its overall plans.
After a long closure due to the pandemic, students of schools and colleges across the country returned to their classrooms on September 12 last year.
The government ordered educational institutions to close on March 17, 2020, after the country reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8 and later the closure was extended several times.
Besides, The NTAC on Friday recommended suspending all types of social, religious and political gatherings to contain Covid-19.
The committee also recommended strengthening screening, quarantine and isolation at all entry points of the country. All students needed to be brought under the vaccination program as early as possible, it said. Use of face masks, hand wash and maintaining social distancing must be ensured everywhere, it added.
There should be better treatment arrangements at hospitals in case of Covid-19 emergencies, read a press release issued by NTAC.
The government has taken measures to stem the effects of Covid-19 across the country. Hospitals in all districts and upazilas had been kept ready to attend Covid patients, said Maleque.
Besides, the government had instructed shop owners to close shops and markets by 8pm. Besides, unvaccinated people would not be allowed to take food at restaurants, he said.
The government had also decided to operate public transport, including buses and trains at half capacity, he said. Directives in this regard would come soon, he added.
Issuing a note of warning that people would be fined through mobile courts if found without masks, the minister said, “As the Covid-19 situation in the country is under control, the wheels of the economy are still moving and production activities in factories are seen as normal. Students are able to attend their classes.”
He also urged all to maintain health guidelines properly to keep the situation stable.
On January 4, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued a 15-point guideline to prevent the highly-transmittable African variant of the virus.
The government was not considering any lockdown in the country right now and it would think about it if the infection rate went up further, said the health minister.
“We don’t want any lockdown. But we have to maintain health protocols. The government will take tough measures to force people to maintain health protocols,” said the minister while talking to local journalists after attending a booster dose launching event at Manikganj Nursing College.
Govt: No plan to close schools, colleges now
Covid-19 infections may see a peak in March and therefore the government is mulling some adjustments in its overall plans
The government has no plan to close educational institutions across the country right now despite the fact that Covid-19 cases are on the rise across the world.
“Covid infections are on the rise in many countries but it is still under control in Bangladesh. The government has no plan to close educational institutions right now,” said Health Minister Zahid Maleque.
The minister was talking to reporters at a programme in Manikganj on Saturday.
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, in a similar tone, said in the capital on Saturday that the government had no plan to close educational institutions at present.
“We do not want to close educational institutions right now. We rather want our children to go to their respective institutions after they take vaccine shots,” Dipu Moni said.
While talking about children under-12, the minister said the government would take a decision in this regard. "We will sit with the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19 on Sunday and discuss the overall situation," she said while replying to a query.
Dipu Moni said that Covid-19 infections might see a peak in March and therefore the government was mulling some adjustments in its overall plans.
After a long closure due to the pandemic, students of schools and colleges across the country returned to their classrooms on September 12 last year.
The government ordered educational institutions to close on March 17, 2020, after the country reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8 and later the closure was extended several times.
Besides, The NTAC on Friday recommended suspending all types of social, religious and political gatherings to contain Covid-19.
The committee also recommended strengthening screening, quarantine and isolation at all entry points of the country. All students needed to be brought under the vaccination program as early as possible, it said. Use of face masks, hand wash and maintaining social distancing must be ensured everywhere, it added.
There should be better treatment arrangements at hospitals in case of Covid-19 emergencies, read a press release issued by NTAC.
The government has taken measures to stem the effects of Covid-19 across the country. Hospitals in all districts and upazilas had been kept ready to attend Covid patients, said Maleque.
Besides, the government had instructed shop owners to close shops and markets by 8pm. Besides, unvaccinated people would not be allowed to take food at restaurants, he said.
The government had also decided to operate public transport, including buses and trains at half capacity, he said. Directives in this regard would come soon, he added.
Issuing a note of warning that people would be fined through mobile courts if found without masks, the minister said, “As the Covid-19 situation in the country is under control, the wheels of the economy are still moving and production activities in factories are seen as normal. Students are able to attend their classes.”
He also urged all to maintain health guidelines properly to keep the situation stable.
On January 4, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued a 15-point guideline to prevent the highly-transmittable African variant of the virus.
The government was not considering any lockdown in the country right now and it would think about it if the infection rate went up further, said the health minister.
“We don’t want any lockdown. But we have to maintain health protocols. The government will take tough measures to force people to maintain health protocols,” said the minister while talking to local journalists after attending a booster dose launching event at Manikganj Nursing College.
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