DHAKA, June 27, 2020 (BSS)-State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury today said it is possible to reduce the prevalence of coronavirus through creating health awareness.
“It’s possible to reduce the prevalence of coronavirus through health awareness, so importance should be given on creating awareness,” the state minister said while he addressing a function as chief guest marking the introduction of the ambulance service for the members of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) during the Covid-19 pandemic at the Jatiya Press Club here.
Khalid said even many developed countries around the world showed their helplessness in the coronavirus epidemic, but the government of Bangladesh is tackling this coronavirus situation bravely despite the limitations of the country’s healthcare capacity.
DUJ General Secretary Sajjad Alam Khan Tapu, Joint-General Secretary Khairul Alam, Organizing Secretary Zihadur Rahman Zihad, DRU Organizing Secretary Habibur Rahman, President of Bangladesh Ambulance Malik Kallyan Samity Golam Mostafa and its General Secretary Badal Matbor, among others, addressed the function with President of DUJ Kuddus Afrad in the chair.
Khalid said many criticize the handling of Corona situation in different ways. “But the reality is that millions of people are being identified in the USA, Russia and Europe, and thousands more are dying there”.
One and a half lakh people have been infected in Italy and 29,000 people have died there, he added.
Commenting on the Bangladesh’s COVID-19 situation, Khalid said Coronavirus infection has reached 130,000 while the number of deaths is one and a half thousand.
He said the death rate here is 1.23 percent adding that this shows how well the government is dealing with the coronavirus situation in Bangladesh.
The state minister alleged that the BNP is failing to play a responsible role as a political party in the situation of coronavirus.
Criticizing the activities of BNP, he said in the 1991 cyclone, around two lakh people died helplessly, but no support was given officially.
Khalid said animals and people were buried together during that time, but at present there is no such situation in Bangladesh.
He also urged people for maintaining health guidelines to prevent the spread of Coronavirus adding, “We’ve no way of denying that there is a lack of awareness among the people of Bangladesh.”
At the same time, the state minister called upon the owners of media outlets to stop retrenchment of media personnel.
Mentioning that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thinks for the betterment of the journalists, Khalid said in this coronavirus pandemic, she (Sheikh Hasina) has provided incentives to media workers.