Working on business continuity plan amid coronavirus outbreak: ICT state minister

State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak yesterday said that they would work to fix a business continuity plan through standard operating procedures to keep services running amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Palak said this while attending a video conference on exchanging views with the top leaders of the country's ICT sector at Janata Tower Software Technology Park in the capital.

"We have seen how China and European countries have run their services during the coronavirus outbreak and we will also have to run the services in the coming days to ensure normal daily life," the state minister said, adding that the ICT ministry is trying to identify how the industry will continue to run if the situation becomes tough.

About a hundred others who joined the views exchange meeting from their homes, placed importance on four topics: online education, e-health, entertainment and digital business ventures that are crucial to getting food and services to citizens' doorsteps in an emergency situation.

Most of the chief executives of leading digital companies like Pathao, Shohoz, Chaldal; CEOs of the top three mobile operators; presidents of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), Bangladesh Association of Call Center and Outsourcing, and e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB), attended the video conference.

Senior government officials, top brass of a2i and top executives of some international organisations also expressed their views about facing the coronavirus situation using ICT.

Mobile operators said they are already offering toll-free services for some numbers and free data to browse emergency websites, adding that they will provide support to identify and trace coronavirus-infected people.

The delivery companies said they are prepared to deliver food and medicine to the doors of the customers but expressed concern over security of the delivery persons and riders.

BASIS president proposed a business continuity plan and called upon the government for support to face the challenge.

Digital education platform '10 Minutes School' said it is offering additional courses for students as their schools are suspended for coronavirus outbreak and some other institutions are also taking preparation to go for online classes.

"We are hoping for the best but want to prepare for the worst," Palak added.