Bangladesh bans travelers from 11 countries as virus cases soar

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh banned travelers from 11 countries with effect from June 4 to contain the worsening COVID-19 situation in the country with experts suggesting more lockdowns and strict measures to avoid a health catastrophe.

According to a new official notification, the Civil Aviation Authority released a list of countries on Tuesday banning travel with effect from Thursday.

No one is allowed to travel to or from Argentina, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Paraguay, Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago, it added.

Meanwhile, a team of national health experts in Bangladesh suggested a “stay at home” order for all the people, except those engaged in emergency services, citing the worsening COVID-19 situation in the country.

The National Technical Advisory Committee on COVID-19 also urged the government to impose complete and area-based lockdowns in border districts with neighboring India and high contagion local areas.

The expert team forwarded those recommendations following its meeting on Tuesday night amid the surging infections, particularly in bordering areas with India, and spread of the Indian variant in Bangladesh.

At least 31 cases of the Indian strain were reported in Bangladesh. On April 26, the country closed its land borders with India till June 14.

The team suggested the government to close restaurants (take-away arrangements may continue), ban all political and religious gatherings completely, close tourist spots, and increase the number of patrols required to completely stop illegal entry into the border districts along India.

Over 4,000 Bangladeshis returned from India in a month despite the travel ban because of the high infections in India.

Md Nazrul Islam, a prominent virologist and member of the expert team, told the Anadolu Agency: “The COVID-19 situation is worsening in Bangladesh especially in some border districts. And, therefore, we recommended the government to impose a complete lockdown and increase patrolling in seven border districts.”

He emphasized on strict implementation of the experts’ recommendations to protect people from the deadly virus.

The team also suggested stopping inter-district public transport between highly infected areas.

The overcrowded South Asian country of 165 million people has also extended the nationwide lockdown till June 6. So far, the total virus-related fatalities have reached 12,660 and infections stand at 802,305, according to the Health Ministry.

- Refugees' vaccination

The UN Refugee Agency sought stronger global support for refugees’ vaccinations in Asia, including Rohingya living in Bangladesh.

Some refugees, including in Nepal, have already received their first vaccine dose with COVAX-provided supplies. Among the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, not a single vaccine has been administered yet given the scarcity of supplies in the country, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson, Andrej Mahecic, said in a regular briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.