COVID-19: Govt Issues Directives for Red Zone

The government on Tuesday issued some directives and restrictions for ‘red zone’ areas, asking residents to strictly follow the restrictions.

The restrictions initially set for the ‘Red Zone’ are as follows –

1. Agricultural work can be done during an extended time following health guidelines.

2. Workers can work in factories and agricultural products producing factories after ensuring health hygiene issues in the villages but in the town area operation of the factories will be closed.

3. People should do office work from home.

4. Public gatherings will be prohibited while only sick people will be allowed to go to the hospital.

5. People will be allowed to go outside for emergency needs and plying of rickshaw vans, CNG and private cars will remain off the road.

6. Operation of vehicles on the road, riverways and railways will remain close in the red zone areas.

7. Goods-laden river vessels and ships can be operated at night.

8. The entrance and exit points of the red zone will be strictly controlled.

9. Grocery shops and pharmacy shops under the red zone will be opened while restaurants and food shops can continue their services through home delivery. People can go to market for emergency needs while the shopping mall, theatre and sports complex will remain shut.

10. Financial activities can be operated through ATMs after ensuring health guidelines but the banking system in the area can be open on a limited scale.

11. Samples for the Covid-19 test will be collected from patients and the Covid-19 patient will be kept in home isolation or institutional isolation.

12. Only mosque employees and staffers can offer prayers at mosques after maintaining social distance.

13. Red zone areas will be effective for 21 days and the zoning system can be changed following improvement of the situation.

Besides, the following general rules must be followed in all regions of Bangladesh, including the Red Zone:

1. Everyone must wear masks. Ensure handwashing, disinfection, cleanliness and social distance.

2. Take necessary steps for identifying Covid-19 patient and their treatment and isolation.

3. Ensure contact tracing and quarantine for those who came in contact with Covid-19 patient.

4. Emergency services providing organizations including health care centers and hospitals should remain open. Vehicles including ambulance carrying sick people can be operated with the directives from authorities concerned.

5. All educational institutions, schools, colleges, coaching centers will remain shut until further notice.

6. Ensure performances of the field workers for monitoring the activities and effective social involvement.

The authorities concerned will take the necessary steps for ensuring services and other facilities of the citizens.

Considering the lives and livelihood of people, the government has resumed all economic activities on a limited scale from May 31 after 66 days of general holidays across the country to contain transmission of coronavirus.

Amid the growing concern of coronavirus cases for the last several days, the Director-General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has issued some directives to curb the spread of coronavirus on June 10 and the purpose of this guideline is to identify and implement any small or large area of the country as a red, yellow or green zone in view of the ongoing risk of Covid-19 disease.

The District Civil Surgeon concerned will implement the zoning activities with the help of the public representatives, local administration, law enforcement agencies, armed forces and volunteer organisations.

Bangladesh on Tuesday saw the highest-ever jump in coronavirus cases and deaths in a single day as the health authorities confirmed the detection of 3,862 new patients and recorded 53 deaths in the span of 24 hours.

With this, the death toll rose to 1,262 and the number of confirmed cases in the country reached 94,481.

Bangladesh confirmed its first cases on March 8 and the first death on March 18 but it has been seeing a sharp rise in both new cases and deaths in recent weeks.

Red Zones in Bangladesh

Some areas of the two city corporations in Dhaka, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Narshingdi and Gazipur district have been marked as ‘Red zones’ to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Seventeen areas under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), 28 areas under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), 11 areas in Chattogram, Sadar, Rupganj and Araihazar Upazilas of Narayanganj, Narsingdi Model and Madhabdi thanas, Palash Upazila in Narsingdi district and all Upazilas of Gazipur district will be declared as Red zones.

Those areas are being considered as Red Zones in Dhaka and Chattogram city corporations where 60 cases in the last 14 days or among 100,000 population were detected, according to a source of DGHS.

Source: UNB