Bangladesh to lift COVID curbs for EID despite infection record Coronavirus pandemic News

Bangladesh imposed the harshest blockade ever at the beginning of the month to deal with the rise in COVID deaths and cases.

Bangladesh will lift the coronavirus blockade across the country for the country’s second-largest religious holiday, the government said on Tuesday, despite new record levels of new infections.

The cabinet said all restrictions on 169 million people in the country will be eased from Thursday, ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival, which will be held from July 20 to 22 this year.

The removal of the ribbons would “normalize economic activities” before the celebrations, he added.

Tens of millions of people return to their villages to mark Eid al-Adha with their families.

Bangladesh imposed the most severe blockade ever since the beginning of the month when new COVID-19 cases and deaths rose to prominence.

Under the blockade, people were allowed to leave their homes for emergencies and buy basic things, with public transportation, shops and offices closed.

Infections continue to rise

But infections have been on the rise, as nearly 14,000 people tested positive on Monday – a new daily record – bringing the number to more than a million.

The death toll has risen to more than 16,600. Experts say the actual data could be much higher among fears of abuse.

Mohammad Shahidullah, the head of the health committee that advises the government on how to handle the pandemic, said his team of experts has come out against easing the closure.

“The commission believes that this strict blockade should be continued until the trend of infections decreases,” Shahidullah told AFP.

“The blockade is prone to intermediate, infectious and fatalities. The level of infection is still very high.”

There are also fears of crowds gathering at the animal buying markets at the festival and turning large gatherings into much wider events during the festival.

It encourages revitalized vaccines

The announcement was made when authorities restarted the country’s COVID-19 vaccine unit, which was halted in late April after a ceasefire in neighboring India was halted amid a huge rise in the virus to meet local demand.

The revived inoculation program kicked off on a large scale on Tuesday with two million shots fired from China by Sinopharm and 2.5 million from the United States via the Modern Dose COVAX program.

Tens of thousands of migrant workers fled the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka before being blocked in late June [File: Munir Uz zaman/AFP]

To date, 4.2 million people in Bangladesh have fully vaccinated two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine purchased or given in India. Another 1.6 million have been shot.

In nearby Bhutan, half a million doses of Modern arrived late Monday from the United States via COVAX.

More shots are expected to be fired by Denmark, Croatia, Bulgaria, China and many other countries.

In the world’s second most polluted country, India, where cases have dropped from records in May, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has warned people flocking to the northern Himalayan states to escape the scorching summer heat.

“The virus does not come and go on its own … We bring it on when we disobey the rules. Experts repeatedly warn us that irresponsible behavior – like overcrowding – will lead to an increase in COVID cases,” he said at a meeting with state leaders on Tuesday.