Follow instructions to fight coronavirus: PM

Noting that the government is making its best efforts to fight coronavirus, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the people of the country to properly follow the awareness-raising instructions over the virus.

“We’ve been trying our best to resist Covid-19 or Coronavirus… the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) is regularly providing instructions to raise awareness over the virus. All will have to follow these instructions regarding awareness,” she said while addressing a function at her official residence Ganobhaban.

The Prime Minister said this inaugurating the countrywide cleanup campaign under the ‘Clean Village-Clean Town’ Programme on the occasion of Mujib Borsho, 2020 celebration, UNB reported.

The Local Government Division has taken the ‘Clean Village-Clean Town’ Programme aiming to build a clean Bangladesh in the Mujib Year by inspiring all to keep them and their surroundings neat and clean for preventing different diseases, including mosquito- and water-borne ones.

Sheikh Hasina said if anyone suspects that s/he has been infected with coronavirus or any symptom of virus-infection is seen, the person will immediately have to take prescription and treatment from physicians.

“We’ve kept hospitals and health centres ready in this regard in every district and upazila as well,” she said.

The Prime Minister suggested the returnees from foreign countries to keep themselves isolated from others for some days and see whether there is any symptom of this virus among them.

Mentioning that the people of the country are less conscious regarding health, she suggested them not to spit here and there and wash their hands with soap returning home from outside to keep themselves protected from the virus.

She urged people to keep their own houses, offices, workplaces neat and clean as well as dump wastages in a specific place to prevent the transmission of infectious viruses.

The Prime Minister directed all concerned to develop a waste management system up to village level throughout the country to build a clean Bangladesh.

“I earlier issued the directives and am giving again that we’ve to develop the waste management system even up to the village level. There must have designated places for dumping wastes at every village, ward, union, upazila, district and elsewhere,” she said.

Later, the Prime Minister joined the videoconference to exchange views with the people of Rajshahi, Jashore and Mymensingh about the cleanup campaign.

Leader of the opposition in parliament Raushon Ershad also spoke on the occasion.

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam, Mayor-elect of Dhaka North City Corporation Md Atiqul Islam and outgoing Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Sayeed Khokon were, among others, present.

PM’s Principal Secretary Dr. Ahmad Kaikaus conducted the event, while Local Government Senior Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed made a presentation over the nationwide cleanup campaign.