Coronavirus: Sheikh Hasina Writes to UK PM, Wishes Swift Recovery

Prime Minister Sheik Hasina has expressed disappointment at the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's news that the COVID-19 test is positive. 

“While we're all fighting our own battles and challenges against the spread and loss of lives from the coronavirus pandemic, I have been closely following all your timely and dynamic leadership initiatives including extreme lockdown, supporting laws and financial stimulus to protect the people of the United Kingdom from the devastation and death from the coronavirus,” she said in a letter that sent to him.

She also said Bangladesh will always be able to collaborate with the United Kingdom in the context of current collaboration in joint efforts to resolve this obstacle and committed to being successful.

ABM Sarwer-E-Alom Sarker, PM's Assistant Press Secretary, said the prime minister wished Johnson swift recovery in the message.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh acted very seriously from the very outset of this crisis understanding the grave concern over the global outbreak of this virus.

"We started screening the suspects at the airport along with the arrangement of dedicated quarantine zones for the people arriving from the affected countries since January. A high-powered national committee including the task forces of different compositions was formed to tackle the different dimensions of the spread of COVID-19 and its challenges," she wrote.

She said the government prepared designated hospitals and equipped health professionals with necessary facilities. It shut down all educational institutions and locked down infection-prone areas to prevent community transmission and advised people to stay home.

"We suspended all public gatherings relating to the celebration of the long-cherished birth centenary of our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and canceled all the state and private get-togethers. We closed down all government and private offices and activities except the emergency services to curb the spread of the virus for 10 days since the 25th of this month," she wrote.

She said the government continually carries out mass awareness to protect the people from coronavirus.

Because of these preventive measures, she added, Bangladesh has so far confirmed 48 cases with five unfortunate deaths, together with 11 complete recoveries.

He stressed that the Government of Bangladesh will always be able to collaborate with the Government of the United Kingdom in the context of current collaboration on joint initiatives to resolve this obstacle, and committed to achieving.