Bangladesh has taken all precautions against new coronavirus variant, Omicron, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Sunday ruling out any further Covid-induced lockdown in the country
“The Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh is under control now and there is no possibility to enforce any lockdown in the country,” he told reporters after visiting the under-construction Bangladesh Institute of Health Management Building (BIHM) in Savar.
He said the government is keeping eye on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) decisions on the Omicron variant but above all the precautions and preparations people will need to follow the health protocols, he said.
He, however, said that the government does not see any need for sealing the land border of the country as yet.
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“Already letters have been sent to all the districts to take up preparations to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant, “he said.
Zahid said there is no need to worry about the new coronavirus variant Omicron which has no presence in the country.
“Any one coming from South Africa or other Omicron-affected countries will need to possess negative certificate from tests 48 hours before the flight and will need to stay in mandatory quarantine for 14 days, “he said.
Screening at airports has been increased and the Covid-19 testing labs have been expanded up to 30,000 square feet from 2,000, he said.
He said Bangladesh has now enough stock of vaccines and preparation to face any situation.
“Already more than seven crore people have received the first dose while around four crore have been fully vaccinated,” he said.
“Like many other countries, we got the prime minister’s nod to administer the booster dose of Covid-19 vaccines, and soon it will be provided to the above-60 citizens,” he said.
We are keeping eye on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) decisions on the Omicron variant but above all the precautions and preparations people will need to be more health aware, said the health minister