Bangladesh announces set of restrictions to fight Omicron

Bangladesh government today announced a set of restrictions to fight the Omicron variant of coronavirus. 

The directives, issued by Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Tuesday (4 January), include a stricter screening of expatriates and foreign nationals travelling from Omicron-raged nations and mandatory masking outside.

The 16-point guidelines are -  

• Ensuring proper health checkup and screening of passengers arriving from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Estonia, Lesotho and other countries, those are infected with Omicron
• Discouraging all kinds of social, political, religious and other gatherings
• Wearing masks properly outside
• Restaurants should allow customers half of their capacity
• Tourist spots, recreation centres, resort, community centres, cinema/theatre halls and other programmes including marriage, birthday, picnic and party, should operate at 50% of their capacity or less
• Health guidelines should be maintained at mosques and other places of worship
• Proper hygiene rules must be followed on public transports
• Passengers coming from infected countries must be placed in 14-day quarantine
• Health rules should be followed at all educational institutions and coaching centres
• Healthcare workers and receivers must wear masks at all sorts of medical centres and maintain hygiene rules 
• Those who have not yet received the Covid-19 vaccine should take their 1st and 2nd dose
• Vaccination campaigns should be conducted in compliance with healthcare guidelines 
• Meanwhile, those with Covid symptoms and the people who came in contact with them have to be isolated and quarantined respectively 
• Coordinating with local authorities to isolate suspected Covid-19 patients showing symptoms and test their samples 
• Masks should be worn by employees at all public and private offices and hygiene rules should be followed while carrying out official tasks 
• To raise awareness for wearing masks and following healthcare guidelines, using loudspeakers for promotion, even those that are in use at mosques, temples and pagodas. Local government officials and elected public representatives can be involved to run awareness campaigns

Earlier in the day, the health department reported six more deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours till 8am Tuesday. 

Besides, the number of daily cases rose to 775, highest in 89 days, during the same period.

Bangladesh has so far detected 10 cases of Omicron variant. 

Also, the positivity rate went up to 3.91%, up from 3.37% a day ago, which is the highest since 2 October. 

With the latest additions, the death toll reacehd 28,087 and the case tally climbed to 15,87,915 in the country.