Six detected with Covid at the capital’s cattle markets in two days

Over the past two days, six persons have been detected with coronavirus in nine cattle markets of the capital city. Four of them were detected today, Sunday.

These coronavirus cases were detected by antigen tests carried out at the BRAC corona protection corners in the city’s cattle markets. According to BRAC, on Sunday till 5:00pm in the afternoon, 35 persons had undergone the corona antigen tests. Of them, four tested positive. On Saturday, 57 persons were tested in 9 booths. Of them, two tested positive.

Of the four positive cases today, Sunday, two of the affected persons were at the cattle market in Uttarkhan of the capital city. One of them was 22 years old and the other 23. At the haat n Aftabnagar a 42-year-old man and at a temporary haat in Uttara Sector 17, an 18-year-old youth, tested positive. Speaking to Prothom Alo, BRAC’s health, nutrition and population programme manager, Mirana Zaman, said two persons in Uttarkhan and one in the Aftabnagar haat were detected with coronavirus by means of antigen tests. Another tested positive at the Turag haat in Uttara Section 17.

Lessee of the Uttarkan haat, Md Nazmul Alam Bhuiyan, told Prothom Alo, “I have not heard about two having tested positive in this haat at Uttarkhan.”

A BRAC corona protection booth was set up at the Gabtali cattle market on Saturday. Three persons underwent antigen tests there so far, but the results were negative. The volunteer in charge of the booth, Rafiqul Islam, told Prothom Alo, people are not following the health guidelines at the Gabtali haat. So far only three persons have been tested here.

A visit to the Gabtali animal ‘haat’ on Sunday afternoon saw that most of these coming to buy sacrificial animals, were wearing masks. However, many of them had pulled the masks down under their chins. Most of the sellers, traders and farmers were not wearing masks. The buyers too were crowed close together, checking out the animals.

Four friends had come from Azimpur to buy a cow together. Three of them were not wearing masks. When asked about his mask, one of them, Shipon Howladar, told Prothom Alo, “It’s in my pocket.” The four friends were looking at a cow in the western corner of the market. The cow trader, Abdus Sattar from Chuadanga, also had no mask. He said, “You can’t understand what I am saying of I wear a mask. I ask for one price, the customer hears another. That’s why I’m not wearing a mask.”

Mayor Atiqul Islam of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) inaugurated BRAC’s coronavirus sample test programme at 11:00am at the Saidnagar haat in Bhatara.

Every day 150 samples will be collected at the nine cattle markets in the city. This will continue till 8:00pm 20 July.

BRAC has said that this programme will continue every day from 8:00am till 8:00pm. Only buyers and sellers who have coronavirus symptoms such as fever, cold, cough, sore throats and respiratory problems, o those who have come into contact with corona patients, can give their samples for testing. The government is paying fixed fee for this. If the results are positive, they will be informed in 30 minutes and the information will be uploaded on the website in three to four hours.

* This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir