Health minister: Vulnerable areas will be locked down if necessary

Health minister has said government would lockdown any vulnerable areas if necessary to curtail the spread of Covid-19.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque disclosed the development at a press briefing at the secretariat on Thursday.

He said that Faridpur, Madaripur and Shariatpur were the most vulnerable districts now, as many of the people who returned home recently from abroad were staying there. "Most of the affected are from these districts."

He further said preparations are underway to isolate or quarantine patients at Ijtema ground facilities, on the banks of Turag River.

Responding to a query regarding potential lockdown of certain parts of the country, the minister said: “We will lockdown any vulnerable areas if necessary.”

“More than 5,000 people are currently in quarantine across the country… Action will be taken if they try to violate the quarantine rules,” he added.

Three more people tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, raising the total number of cases to 17 in Bangladesh.

Moreover, authorities confirmed the first death from coronavirus in the country on Wednesday.

The Covid-19 pandemic has so far infected over 225,600 people and killed more than 9,200 in 176 countries and territories around the world, according to worldometer.