Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Monday) directed the officials concerned to bring the development activities back to normalcy like in the situation before the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.      She gave this directive at the regular Cabinet meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat.  The premier chaired the meeting, joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban, while others remained at the Secretariat.         “The Prime Minister asked the officials concerned to expedite the development works to bring those back to the previous situation as like as situation before the emergence of deadly pandemic Covid-19,” said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam while briefing reporters after the meeting.         He said that the premier also directed them (officials) to enhance their activities to reduce the backlogs if there is any, as two years have already gone and a Covid-19 protocol has already been developed in the country.         “She (Prime Minister) asked to minimize the backlogs (if any) rendered by the Covid-19 to take the growth rate to the previous position to progress it further again,” said the Cabinet Secretary.         Replying to a query, he said all have been asked to perform better, including those who already did good jobs.       Answering to a query regarding Covid-19 transmission and restriction, Khandker Anwarul Islam said, "We have already held meetings with 32 districts and told them that there is no scope for relaxation. Everyone needs to be attentive and careful about maintaining social distance.”       Mentioning that already around 9 crore people have been vaccinated, the cabinet secretary said, "Two to two and a half crore vaccines will be given every month by next February."        In this connection, he said, the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase has given approval to procure around 9.50 crore syringes from abroad as the local production is not sufficient for this job.    Source: BSS AH

Bangladesh has collected United States (US)-made 250 ventilators, an essential treatment gear for COVID-19 patients, following the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. As per the premier's instructions, a group of expatriate Bangladeshi physicians residing in the USA and Canada, led by Dr Ziauddin Ahmed, collected the mobile ventilators for Bangladesh at free of cost from a US-based charity organization. The US organization sent several hundreds of ventilators to an Indian organization named 'HealthCube' of which 250 ventilators were allocated for Bangladesh. Following the directives of Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office and foreign ministry, the Bangladesh mission in New Delhi collected the ventilators from HealthCube and sent those to Dhaka by a Biman Bangladesh Airlines cargo flight on Saturday night. Foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen, health service division secretary Lokman Hossin Mia and Prime Minister’s personal physician Professor Dr ABM Abdullah received the ventilators at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka. Prof Abdullah, who coordinated the shipment, said these ventilators could be used up at the union level and even at the ambulance as these are portable one. He extended heartfelt thanks to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her instructions to this end, and also praised the expatriate Bangladeshi physicians for their noble efforts in collecting these much-needed ventilators for critical COVID patients.  Source: BSS AH

The government has issued 18-point directive to contain the sharp rise of COVID-19 cases in the country. A gazette notification, signed by Prime Minister’s principal secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus, was issued today comprising the directives. The directives are as follows: 1. All kinds of public gatherings, including social, political, religious have to be limited in all places and no gatherings will be allowed in areas of higher transmission of coronavirus. 2. Compliance with health rules has to be ensured in mosques and other places of worship. 3. Gatherings have to be limited in tourist attractions and entertainment venues, cinema and theatre halls. Arrangement of all kinds of fairs and exhibitions has to be discouraged. 4. Public transports cannot carry passengers over 50 percent of their capacity and have to follow Covid-19 health codes. 5. Inter-district transport movements have to be limited to areas with higher infections of the virus. If necessary, transport movements have to be stopped to halt the spread of the deadly virus. 6. Incoming passengers from abroad have to remain in quarantine for 14 days in hotels at their own expenses. 7. Purchase and sale of daily essentials have to take place in open spaces, maintaining proper health rules. Health codes also have to be maintained properly in pharmacy shops. 8. Health guidelines including wearing masks must be followed in healthcare service institutions. 9. All educational institutions including primary, secondary, higher secondary, universities, madrasas and coaching centres will remain closed. Both sellers and buyers at shopping malls must follow health rules. 10. Going out after 10pm without any emergency would be avoided and non-essential movements must be stopped. 11. Legal action will be taken if mask is not worn and other health rules are violated while travelling. 12. Patients with COVID-19 symptoms have to stay in isolation. Persons in close contact with patients will have to be quarantined as well. 13. All government and private offices, establishments and factories should be managed by 50 percent of the manpower except emergency services. Pregnant and ill officials or those aged above 55 have to perform official duties staying at home. 14. Meetings, seminars, trainings and workshops must be arranged online. 15. Proper health codes must be ensured in any type of public examinations with physical presence mandatory. 16. Hotels and restaurants can serve only up to 50 percent of the customers they can accommodate. 17. It is compulsory to wear masks properly and ensure all necessary health rules at workplaces. The directives will be effective immediately and remain in force for two weeks until further instructions, the gazette notification reads. All relevant ministries, departments, directorates and agencies will take all necessary measures to implement the guidelines to stop recent rise of coronavirus in the country. Source: BSS  AH

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said she has directed the Law Minister to look for a way for the quick disposal of the Abrar Fahad murder case. "I’ve already asked the Law Minister to find out a way for the quick disposal of the case (Abrar Fahad killing)," she said. The Prime Minister said this while the family members of Abrar Fahad met her at her official residence Ganabhaban. PM's press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. Abrar's Father Barkat Ullah and mother Rokeya Khatun expressed their profound gratitude to the Prime Minister as she is dealing with the matter from the position of a mother. They said they do not have any word to express their gratitude for playing the role from the position of a mother. They also expressed their gratitude to the administration, police and the people of the country for their all-out support and cooperation. After the incident, Hasina said, they did not see who belong to which party. "I don't want to see who belongs to which party. To me, killers are just killers, criminals are just criminals," she said. The Prime Minister said she does not have the words to console them as what they have lost. "Please look at me, I’ve lost everything in just one night, I understand the pain of losing close ones."  Hasina said the killers are not human being. "How they could kill a person with whom they were sitting and studying [every day]!" she said. After the incident, the Prime Minister said, police personnel were directed to collect the CCTV footage. "But it’s not clear to me why some of the Buet students created obstacles towards collection of the footage," she said. PM's press secretary Ihsanul Karim said that on arrival of the Prime Minister at the meeting room, Abrar's mother embraced her and burst into tears. The Prime Minister held her with great affection for some time and sat down beside her instead of her designated chair. Abrar Fahad's brother Abrar Faiz, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, joint secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Kusthia Sadar upazila AL general secretary and upazila chairman Ataur Rahman were, among others, at the meeting. Abrar, a second-year student of Buet’s electrical and electronic engineering department, was beaten to death by a group of BCL men at the university’s Sher-e-Bangla Hall on October 7. Later, his father filed a murder case against 19 Buet students, mostly BCL leaders of the Buet unit, and several other unnamed accused with Chawkbazar Police Station. Source: UNB AH