Covid-19 restrictions: Follow curbs or brace for a disaster

There has been an alarming rise in Covid-19 transmission and the situation will be disastrous if the government's 11-point restriction is not followed, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said yesterday.

"The government is not imposing a lockdown as it causes the country to suffer," he said while inaugurating a CT-scan machine and a dialysis unit at Manikganj Sadar Hospital yesterday.

He made the comment a day after Covid cases crossed the 4,000-mark -- the highest since August 26 last year.

According the health officials, the latest spike is caused by the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.

Health guidelines are not being observed properly in many places, including the Dhaka International Trade Fair, Maleque said, adding, "This is a matter of concern... There is no substitute for wearing masks. We have to wear masks if we want to avoid contracting the disease."

Urging everyone to get vaccinated, he said, "Everyone needs to be inoculated. We have no shortage of vaccines, and around 14.25 crore people, including 70 lakh schoolchildren, have already been jabbed."

The government directives, in effect from last Thursday, include: People must wear masks at all public places, including at shops, shopping malls and restaurants; vaccination certificates must be shown at restaurants or hotels; trains, buses and launches must operate at half-capacity; and all kinds of social, political, religious gatherings and rallies will remain suspended till further notice.