Legal action if 14-day quarantine rule violated: Cabinet

The Cabinet on Monday decided that all those arriving from abroad must stay in 14-day quarantine or else face legal action.

“Those whoever coming from any foreign country must stay in a 14-day compulsory quarantine. There’s no exemption, no matter whatever they are,” Cabinet Secretary Khandkar Anwarul Islam said while briefing reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting at the secretariat.

Citing an example, the Cabinet Secretary said the divisional commissioner of Rangpur was asked to stay in a14-day quarantine as he returned home from abroad on Monday.

“If anyone violates it (the directive regarding quarantine) anywhere, action will be taken according to the law,” he said.

In this regard, Anwarul Islam mentioned that the deputy commissioner of Manikganj fined a Saudi-returnee Tk 10,000 on Sunday as he was roaming outside defying the quarantine directive.

He said if anyone is infected with the Covid-19 because of any Covid-19 patient, the responsible person will have to face legal action.

The Cabinet decided to keep all educational institutions shut down till March 31 asking the guardians not to allow their children roam outside their residence unnecessarily.

He, however, warned of taking action if any student is found roaming outside their residence without any logical reason. The educational institutions were shut down so that students can stay indoors for safety, Anwarul Islam added.

He said the government has asked local administrations – Deputy Commissioners, Civil Surgeons, Superintendents of Police (SP), Upazila Nirbahi Officers--local body representatives and imams of mosques to carry out the awareness campaign in their respective areas in this regard as well as ensure that no-one having fever, cough and cold-related diseases roam in public places.

He said the government officials and employees have already been asked not to come to the office with fever, cough and cold-related diseases.

The Cabinet Secretary said the authorities concerned were asked to make announcements in every mosque across the country advising the people having fever, cough or influenza not to come to mosques.

Bangladesh on Monday announced the detection of three new coronavirus patients and confirmed that the virus has started transmitting locally. So far, the country has recorded eight cases.

Director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora revealed the information at a regular press briefing.

Source: UNB

AH