Coronavirus: Govt to 'take legal action' for flouting guidelines
The government is likely to take legal action if people do not follow the safety guidelines over coronavirus (COVID-19).
“We have issued letters to deputy commissioners across the country in this regard….We may take legal action under the ‘Communicable Disease Prevention, Control and Eradication Act 2018’,” director general (DG) of Directorate General of Health Services Dr Abul Kalam Azad told BSS on the sidelines of a press briefing held at his office in the capital on Friday morning.
If any person provides wrong information about COVID-19, he/she also can be punished under the act, Azad said.
According to a section of the act, if anyone provides wrong information about any disease it will be considered as a crime and the individual can be sentenced to maximum two months of imprisonment or fined Tk 25,000 or be given both the punishment simultaneously.
“It is not necessary to have COVID-19 test kits at every district, upazila and health facilitates as we are able to collect the samples from anywhere of the country,” he added.
He said people by themselves can make facial mask with three layers of poplin fabric and any kind of lace.
One of the two persons, who got cured from COVID-19 infection, was sent to home, said Meerjady Sabrina Flora, director of Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), who was also present at the briefing.
Another person, who also recovered from the disease, is still at the hospital as an individual is in quarantine at his home, she said.
The third coronavirus patient, however, is still at the hospital for a further test, which will be conducted after a certain period, she added.
Flora also suggested that people should avoid going out of the house if not necessary in order to keep them safe from the virus.
In the last 24 hours, IEDCR tested samples of 24 persons. Of the 24 persons, none were found as coronavirus positive, she said, adding that they have tested 187 people regarding novel coronavirus so far.
Flora reiterated her call for self quarantine in case of any little symptoms of the virus saying though no new cases of coronavirus was found in the country, we have to be alert.
“But there is no reason to be panicked,” she added.
The IEDCR director repeatedly emphasised on raising awareness, saying without awareness and practising the good habits, there is no way to tackle the deadly virus.
IEDCR principal scientific officer ASM Alamgir, representative of World Health Organization (WHO) Bardan Jung Rana and chief of health of UNICEF, Bangladesh Maya Vandenant, among others, were present.