RAJSHAHI, April 18, 2020 (BSS) – Local civil administration with assistance of armed forces and other law-enforcing agencies have stepped up the vigilance activities to fight the coronavirus (COVID-19) through successful enforcement of the existing lockdown in the district.
“None being allowed to come out of the house excluding the urgent ones,” said Hamidul Haque, Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi, adding there is no way but to remain in home to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Side by side with the civil administration, the armed forces and the law-enforcers are very much active to this end, he added.
631 mobile courts have been conducted penalizing 1,408 people a total of around Taka 35.89 lakh on charge of violating laws in different areas of the district over the past around 20 days till Friday last.
He said the district was brought under lockdown since April 14 last to contain the spread of coronavirus. During the lockdown, no incoming and outgoing activity is being allowed. However, emergency services like health and food supply are out of the purview.
Hamidul Haque said hundreds of people have rushed into the district through trucks, covered vans and fish-carrying vehicles over the past one week.
“We have detected four positive cases of COVID-19 in Puthiya, Bagmara and Mohanpur Upazilas in the recent days,” he said, adding both of them were found as returnees from Dhaka and Narayanganj.
Meanwhile, many of the city dwellers are seen keeping them confined at home willingly and maintaining social distancing in essential workplaces to stem the spread of virus.
“I have been doing my office work from my home for the past around three weeks,” said Akramul Haque, Chief Executive Officer of DASCOH Foundation, adding many of his office colleagues are also doing the same.
He mentioned that all of us should follow the health related restrictions, particularly social distancing that can be the vital means of curbing the virus outbreak.
Haque said various governments, non-governments and voluntary organizations are providing the hand-to-mouth families with foodstuffs to discourage them from movement.
“We are witnessing the city streets and roads almost empty amidst hectic efforts of the armed forces and other law-enforcers for the last couple of days,” said Zabid Hossain Apu, a professional cameraperson of a private television channel.
He said the district and police administrations have also gone on a hard-line against violation of the existing restriction and lockdown besides spreading rumors related to the virus.
On the other hand, a total of 737 samples have, so far, been tested in the regional laboratory to detect coronavirus (COVID-19) infection here till Thursday since its start on April 1.
“We have found nine positive cases of coronavirus among the total tested samples in the laboratory installed in the Department of Virology in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) to detect coronavirus (COVID-19),” said Prof Dr Sabera Gulnahar, head of the virology department and in-charge of the laboratory.
She added that 84 samples were tested and five people were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus on Thursday last bringing the total number of reported cases to nine in Rajshahi division.