Govt undecided over locking down Dhaka red zones

Despite organising seminars and discussion, the government could not begin zone-wise lockdown except Purba Rajabazar in Dhaka, where the most cases of novel coronavirus infection have been detected.

The matter is in a limbo now. There is no possibility of implementing zone-wise lockdown in the capital city soon. Dhaka tops the list of the highest number of cases and death in coronavirus infection.

Sources from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) technical committee and two city corporations of Dhaka said the DGHS could not finalise the zones to be locked down in Dhaka. They have planned to finalise other areas after reviewing the situation of Purba Rajabazar, which is under experimental lockdown, after 21 days.

Earlier on Tuesday, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayor Atiqul Islam announced to extend the ongoing lockdown in Purba Rajabazar for another seven days, which will be over on 30 June. The area was locked down experimentally on 9 June due to the prevalence high number of patients infected with the novel virus. Authorities of the two city corporations earlier said they could enforce lockdown within 48 to 72 hours of identifying the zone-wise map.

Whereas on 1 June, the government from a high-level meeting, decided to enforce zone-wise lockdown dividing the areas into red, yellow and green zones, all of the recent development suggest, implementation of the zone-wise lockdown of Dhaka is in limbo now.

Though no area of Dhaka, except Purba Rajabazar, has been placed in lockdown, over 150 areas in 18 districts outside of Dhaka have been placed in lockdown. General holiday has also been announced in those areas. However, the lockdown is being implemented in a relaxed way.

The central technical committee of the DGHS primarily identified 45 areas of two city corporations of Dhaka as red zones. But the government decided to lockdown, hampering economic activities as little as possible, smaller areas that have high presence of COVID-19 patients. But that work is also not progressing.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh on 16 and 23 June said they would implement the lockdown within 48-72 hours of getting the zone-wise map. DNCC mayor Atiqul Islam also said almost the same.

But, wishing anonymity, a member of the central technical committee of DGHS told Prothom Alo that the zone-wise map has not been finalised. The work is underway. It would take time.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, public health expert and former chief scientific officer of IEDCR (Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research) Mushtaq Hossain said, there should be no delay. The lockdown should be implemented very soon identifying the high-density areas.

Purba Rajabazar was locked down experimentally on 9 June midnight. There were 31 COVID-19 patients in the area. The number of infected was 34 until 19 June. Of them, 24 were infected until 14 June. A very small number of patients were detected in the last three days, only one tested positive among samples of 17 people. On 18 June, all 22 samples were tested negative and on 19 June, only two out of 19 samples were tested positive. Almost all the infected have being doing well in the area. One person has died here.

However, a few people protested against the lockdown in Purba Rajabazar on Tuesday.