Shawdesh Desk:

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged all to follow three health safety protocols — wearing face-mask, exercising maximum caution and keeping public gatherings limited — in the fight against Coronavirus in Bangladesh.

She made the call while presiding over the weekly Cabinet meeting, held at the Bangladesh Secretariat, joining it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.

Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam briefed reporters at the Secretariat after the meeting.

“We all, no matter who have been vaccinated or not, should follow the three protocols — we must wear masks, maintain highest caution and keep public gatherings limited particularly in tourist spots like Cox’s Bazar, the Chittagong Hill Tracts, or different social events,” the Prime Minister was quoted as saying.

Sheikh Hasina said though Bangladesh is in a much better position than many other countries in Covid-19 situation that does not mean that the country is in a comfort zone.

Experts in the last few days suggested that Bangladesh should not be complacent with the Covid-19 situation ahead of summer as the country had witnessed the highest infection rate in the last summer unlike the last winter, said the Cabinet Secretary.

The Covid-19 reached its peak in Bangladesh during the last summer though many experts had thought the pandemic situation would worsen in the immediate past winter, he said adding that the April-June is considered as the peak summer time in Bangladesh.

Ramadan supplies

There will be no supply shortage of essential commodities, particularly edible oil, sugar, date, chickpea, onion and lentil in the country during the upcoming Ramadan, said Khandker Anwarul Islam.

The Commerce Ministry informed the meeting that the country has sufficient stockpile of these essential commodities against the possible demand in the holy month, he said.

Approval to four bills

The Cabinet gave the final approval to the drafts of two bills titled “Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute Bill, 2021” and “Kurigram Agricultural University Bill, 2021,” while approved in principle the drafts of the two other bills titled “Public Debt Bill, 2021,” and “Payment and Settlement Systems Bill, 2021,” said the Cabinet Secretary.