The district administration of Chapainawabganj has imposed a seven-day strict lockdown amid the upsurge in Covid-19 infections in the district.
The lockdown, along with its 11-point directives, will come into effect from 12am on Tuesday and continue till May 30 as per the instructions of the Cabinet Division.
The measure comes after the district reported an alarming 55% Covid-19 test positivity rate, according to Deputy Commissioner Manjurul Hafiz who made the lockdown announcement during a press briefing at his office yesterday afternoon.
According to the DGHS data, a total of 10 coronavirus patients died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) yesterday, taking the total toll to 32.
RMCH Deputy Director Dr Saiful Ferdous said: “Most of the dead are from Chapainawabganj.”
He said that the number of infections in some parts of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj had increased at an alarming rate, reports UNB.
The hospital is struggling to accommodate the rising number of patients where 168 Covid patients are taking treatment.
Meanwhile, Chapainawabganj Civil Surgeon Zahid Nazrul Chowdhury said: “The daily infection rate has hit as high as 55% here. At present, a total of 246 patients are being treated in different hospitals and home quarantine in Chapainawabganj.
“Besides, 65 individuals, who came from India in the last five days, have been put in institutional quarantine.”
Also Read - Covid-19: Bangladesh records 25 more deaths, 1,441 new cases
The number of patients admitted to the Nawabganj Sadar Hospital is 19. As many as 59 people got infected with Covid-19 in the last 24 hours.
Chapainawabganj shares border with India’s West Bengal, a state that has been experiencing a steep rise in Covid cases and deaths in recent times.
West Bengal reported 156 more Covid-19 fatalities on Sunday, taking the number of casualties to 14,364, while the case tally mounted to 1,267,090 with 18,422 fresh cases.
Deputy Commissioner Manjurul Hafiz, describing the situation in the bordering district as “severe,” said that the Indian variant of the deadly virus might be responsible for the surge.
He said: “The Indian variant may have spread in the district despite ensuring a 14-day institutional quarantine for all the India returnees.
“To keep people safe and secure, the lockdown measures will be implemented across the district for seven days. All shops excluding pharmacies will remain closed and all vehicular movements will remain suspended during this period. Vehicles from Rajshahi and Naogaon won't be able to enter Chapainawabganj and vehicles from Chapainawabganj won't leave the district.”
However, restrictions will not apply to patients and other emergency service providers.
The decision was taken based on recommendations put forth by the District Coronavirus Prevention Committee and the health experts.
According to locals, there is a lot of movement, both legal and illegal, of people along the border areas of the district.
They suspect that the Indian Covid variant may spread like wildfire if proper precautionary and preventive measures are not taken to fully stop entry-exit from the neighbouring country.
The restrictions came at a time when the government allowed operations of long-route buses, trains, and launches at half capacity after a seven-week countrywide lockdown.
