pandemic
Wanderlust Bucket List: Top 10 Places to Visit in Your Post-Covid Vacations
Almost all the countries in the world have gone through the lockdown process at different times for more than two years. Observing the pandemic situation, the continuous lockdown has gradually relaxed in some places and lifted again. Many have been out of breath for a long time staying at home while many people are going out to cut the restlessness and monotony. Some are also preparing for vacation. However, we should keep in mind that the Covid outbreak is not over yet. So extra caution and awareness can keep you healthy in this pandemic as some countries are not safe to visit yet. So, which countries are safe to visit after corona? Let's see the 10 best places to visit for post-pandemic vacation.
The most amazing places to visit in your post-COVID vacation
Cayman Islands
Cayman Island has low Covid-19 cases; about 1,650 people have been infected here in the last two years. Further, 80.73% (up to October 22) of the total population are vaccinated there. Hence, it is one of the safest places for post-Covid vacation.
The Cayman Islands encompasses 3 islands in the western Caribbean Sea, which is a British Overseas Territory. Every year more than 2 million tourists visit Cayman Island for its scenic beauty and numerous activities. Fully vaccinated people can easily visit Cayman Island as they have removed quarantines for fully vaccinated people.
Read Visa Free Country List for Bangladeshi Passport Holders in 2021
Bhutan
World's one of two negative carbon countries, Bhutan, can be the next destination after the pandemic. They are also one of the lowest Covid infected countries in the world. So far, 2,621 people have been infected there, and 64.44% (up to October 24) of the total population are fully vaccinated.
The best time to visit Bhutan is from September to December. However, all tourists (excluding Bangladeshi, Indian and Maldivian passport holders) will need a visa. However, if you want to go by road, you will need a transit visa for the countries you are touching.
Read Najmun Nahar Shohagi: Bangladeshi globe trotter aims to travel 200 countries
The British Virgin Islands
The British Virgin Islands are one of the top destinations for cruisers. Every year around 700k to 800k people visit the British Virgins Islands. Moreover, it has a small Covid-19 infection rate, and so far, only 2,725 are infected there, and 51.81% (up to October 22) people are vaccinated.
The British Virgin Islands are four main islands and are located in a volcanic archipelago in the Caribbean. It is known for being a great yachting destination as well as reef-lined beaches.
Read Best Countries to Study and Work in 2021
New Zealand
We have seen that New Zealand was strict during the Covid surge period, and they kept the infection rate low. So far, 6,428 people have been infected in New Zealand, and 64.68% of the population is fully vaccinated. Therefore, you can consider it as a safe country to visit after Covid.
However, it still doesn't allow tourists from other countries, but they will open the border soon as the world is going through mass vaccination. December to March is the best time to visit New Zealand, and it is a destination for more than 3.8 million tourists.
Read How to Get E-Passport in Bangladesh: Things you need to know
Hong Kong
Before the pandemic, Hong Kong used to get more than 55.91 million tourists each year, which dropped to 3.57 million in 2020. However, the country tried its best to keep the infection number low, and so far, 12,346 people have been infected in Hong Kong.
RU may turn to UGC to improve food options for students
As universities have opened their doors again following the long closure caused by the pandemic, and healthy lifestyles foremost in people's minds, residential and non-residential students of Rajshahi University have raised concerns over the eating options available to them at one of the largest public universities in the country.
Even the chief medical officer at the university's own medical centre has admitted meals served at the university's dining centres fall short of providing the daily nutritious intake recommended for a person to lead a healthy life.
Students meanwhile allege they are being served food cooked in unhygienic conditions and even stale meals at the cafeterias and hall dinings.
Most of the residential students take their regular meals from their respective hall dinings. Sometimes they allege insects and other unhealthy items are found in the meals of hall dinings.
Earlier on the day of the admission test at the university, many students allegedly suffered from food poisoning after having food from the cafeteria.
Abdus Sabur Lotus, a 2nd-year student of Mass Communication and Journalism department of the university, told UNB that he suffered from food poisoning after having lunch at the central cafeteria.
Read: Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar appointed as VC of Rajshahi University
Poor hospital hygiene in Bangladesh: Patients concerned about appalling neglect
There is a growing tendency among middle-class patients in Bangladesh to avoid knocking on hospital doors, even in the case of any critical condition. The reasons they describe are not pleasant at all.
Poor hygiene management in hospitals and care facilities, the horrible conditions of toilets, dirty floors, bad smell in the air, overcrowding, noise, ‘unfriendly behaviour by nurses and doctors’ and surging medical bills are among the reasons why people try to avoid going to hospitals in Bangladesh.
“Maintaining hygiene in hospitals and clinics is extremely important, and then comes the compassionate approach by hospital staff, including nurses and doctors. That’s great amiss in Bangladesh’s medical service ‘industry’. And this is one of the reasons why many people go abroad for medical treatment,” said Shamsur Rahman (not his real name), in his mid-50s.
Also read: Medical equipment lying packed at 16 hospitals; HC orders probe
“In May 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic was surging at an alarming rate in Bangladesh, I was admitted to a city hospital and had to spend over three weeks there. For the first time in my life, I saw things, I mean hospital management, from inside,” he said.
Can new variants of the coronavirus keep emerging?
Can new variants of the coronavirus keep emerging?
Yes, as long as the virus that caused the pandemic keeps infecting people. But that doesn’t mean new variants will keep emerging as regularly, or that they’ll be more dangerous.
With more than half the world still not vaccinated, the virus will likely keep finding people to infect and replicating inside them for several months or years to come. And each time a virus makes a copy of itself, a small mutation could occur. Those changes could help the virus survive, becoming new variants.
But that doesn’t mean the virus will keep evolving in the same way since it emerged in late 2019.
When a virus infects a new species, it needs to adapt to the new host to spread more widely, says Andrew Read, a virus expert at Pennsylvania State University.
Read: AstraZeneca, Pfizer vaccines effective against Delta Covid-19 variants: Study
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the delta variant is twice as contagious as earlier versions of the virus. And while it could still mutate to become more infectious, it probably won’t double its transmission rate again, says Dr. Adam Lauring, a virus and infectious disease expert at the University of Michigan.
“We’ve seen a stage of rapid evolution for the virus. It’s been harvesting the low-hanging fruit, but there’s not an infinite number of things it can do,” Lauring says.
It’s possible that the virus could become more deadly, but there isn’t an evolutionary reason for that to happen. Extremely sick people are also less likely to socialize and spread the virus to others.
Read: WHO: High vaccination rates can help reduce risk of variants
Experts are watching to see whether emerging variants could be better at evading the protection people develop from vaccination and infections. As more people get the shots, the virus would have to be able to spread through people who have some immunity for it to survive, says Dr. Joshua Schiffer, a virus expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
“The virus could take on a mutation that makes the immune response less effective,” he says.
If that happens, scientists may recommend that vaccine formulas be updated periodically, just as annual flu shots are.
IU to resume in-person classes Wednesday
The physical classes of all departments of Islamic University will resume on Wednesday after about 18 months of closure due to Covid-19 outbreak.
Many students have already returned to the campus as the university authorities reopened its dormitories for the students on October 9.
Read:17 IU teachers among world’s best researchers
University authorities allowed only those students, who had received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, to enter the halls.
The decision was taken in IU's 263rd syndicate meeting held on the campus on October 9.
All departments have already taken preparation to hold physical classes, IU treasurer Professor M Alamgir Hossain Bhuiya said.
Read: IU to reopen residential halls on Oct 9
The in-person classes will be held maintaining health guidelines, he added.
The university remained closed since March 18, 2020 due to the pandemic.
Bangladesh sends out strong message with positive growth amid pandemic: Japan
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki on Sunday said Bangladesh has been able to send a strong message to the world in terms of keeping positive GDP growth even in the pandemic.
During a meeting with Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Rizwan Rahman, the Japanese envoy said the “Japanese Economic Zone” in Araihazar will be operational by next year and it will expedite Japanese investments in Bangladesh.
Ambassador Naoki said a joint study can be conducted with an initiative of both the governments to sign a free trade agreement (FTA).
READ: Genuinely excited to welcome Bangladesh Olympic team to Tokyo: Japanese envoy
He also mentioned that smooth customs clearance facilities, import transactions, better infrastructure of EPZ and EZ and skilled human resources will boost ease of doing business.
The Ambassador said Japan’s Mitsubishi has completed their feasibility study and they will make a decision on investment in Bangladesh next year.
Automotive industry in Bangladesh could be an emerging investment destination for Japanese entrepreneurs, said DCCI President Rizwan Rahman.
He said Bangladesh and Japan have had a strong bilateral business relationship since long and thanked the Japanese government for providing Covid vaccine for the Bangladeshi people.
The DCCI President said Bangladesh mainly exports RMG products to Japan and urged the Ambassador to facilitate other promising products for export to Japan.
He said Japan can play a vital role in skill development in Bangladesh and share technical know-how and train Bangladeshi entrepreneurs.
He thanked the Japanese entrepreneurs who had already registered in “Bangladesh Trade & Investment Summit” to be jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce and DCCI from October 26.
READ: COVAX Facility: Japan to provide 30mn vaccine doses to other countries
DCCI Senior Vice President N K A Mobin, Vice President Monowar Hossain and Second Secretary (Economic Affairs and Development Cooperation Section) of Japan Embassy Shirahata Kasumi were also present during the meeting.
School closure impact: over 3,000 girls married off in Bagerhat
As the schools in Bangladesh reopened after long Covid-induced shutdown last month, many girls in this coastal district were missing from classrooms with a majority of them lost to early marriages.
For the mostly poor families, hit hard by the pandemic, the 18-month shutdown has proved too long and unbearable to take care of their young girls.
In Bagerhat, around 3,178 girls, mostly school goers, were married off between March 2020 till September 20221, according to district Education Officer Md Kamruzzaman.Nilanjana (not her real name) was in class eight in March 2020 when the surging pandemic closed her Basabati Rahmania Secondary school in Bagerhat, along with education shutdown across the country.
Also read: Child marriage was an epidemic within the pandemic in Bangladesh
Indian tourist visas to be issued from Oct 12
The Indian High Commission in Dhaka will begin issuing tourist visas from October 12.
"We are reopening tourist visas in a phased manner. Existing Covid-related protocols will continue to apply," Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami tweeted Thursday.
The Indian High Commission in Dhaka said they will now issue tourist visas for individual tourists planning to fly to India on all air bubble flights that are scheduled on or after November 15.
Those travelling on chartered flights scheduled after 15 October, as groups, may apply for tourist visas too, said the high commission.
"Fresh tourist visas are necessary for travel, even if you already hold valid tourist visas issued earlier. For now, tourist visas are only valid for travel by air or sea route," it added.
India will grant fresh tourist visas to foreigners who enter the country via chartered flights from October 15, one-and-a-half years after the country completely suspended issuing visas in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read: Hopeful of starting tourist visa soon: Doraiswami
Those wanting to visit India on scheduled commercial flights would have to wait till November 15, the Indian government said Thursday.
"The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided to begin granting fresh tourist visas for foreigners coming to India through chartered flights with effect from October 15. Foreign tourists entering into India by flights other than chartered aircraft would be able to do so from November 15 on fresh tourist visas," it said.
The stakeholders from the tourism industry underscored the need of issuing tourist visas to foreign travellers, the MHA said.
It consulted all major stakeholders like the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Tourism and state governments where foreign tourists are expected to arrive.
The decision was taken based on recommendations from state governments as well as stakeholders from the tourism industry, the Indian government added.
However, the ministry asked foreign tourists, air carriers and other stakeholders to ensure that all Covid-19 preventative measures are strictly followed.
Covid: Dhaka advocates an equal shot at recovery
Bangladesh has called for universal and affordable access to Covid vaccines to ensure an equitable and sustainable global recovery from the ravages of the pandemic.
Echoing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent remarks at the UN General Assembly, Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Rabab Fatima said that "sharing the vaccine technology with the capable developing countries" for boosting jab production could ensure vaccine equity.
Read:Bangladesh trade facilitation initiative launched
Ambassador Fatima made the remarks while addressing the General Debate of the Second Committee of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the General Assembly Hall on Wednesday.
The Second Committee adopted the theme, 'Crisis, Resilience and Recovery- Accelerating Progress towards the 2030 Agenda' for its debate this year against the backdrop of the double jeopardy of the pandemic and global climate change.
The theme aims to promote bold and ambitious global roadmap for sustainable and resilient recovery from the pandemic and for the achievement of 2030 agenda in a timely manner.
Mentioning the recent initiatives taken by the global community for tackling the challenges posed by climate change, Ambassador Fatima emphasised on building up on the momentum to achieve bold and ambitious outcomes during the upcoming Climate and Biodiversity COPs.
Read: 2 lakh AstraZeneca doses to reach Dhaka from Maldives Wednesday
Child marriage rates soar in Cox's Bazar in the shadow of pandemic
A recent study on the impact of COVID-19 on child marriage in Cox’s Bazar district has uncovered rates of child marriage soared throughout the district since March 2021, with the highest increase of 82% in Eidgaon Upazila and the second highest increase of 75% in Ukhiya Upazila.
The study was carried out by the COAST foundation in 32 Union Parishads and 3 municipalities throughout nine Upazilas in the district. COAST foundation conducted the study from 4 August to 26 September 2021 covering all Upazila of Cox's Bazar.
The study findings were presented from a virtual press conference on Saturday. Moderated by Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Executive Director of COAST Foundation, the findings were presented by Jahangir Alam, Assistant Director of COAST.
In his keynote, Jahangir Alam noted that the trend not only increased in each upazila under the district , but also the high rates of increase. Apart from Eidgaon and Ukhiya, we had Ramu at 72%, Teknaf 66%, Moheskhali 61%, Kutubdia 54%, and Cox’s Bazar Sadar 51%. Only in Chokoria (32%) and Pekua (26%) do they fall below 50%.
Read: Child marriage rate still over 80% in Bhola
In another presentation on the multidimensional impact of child marriage, Md. Mujibul Haque Munir, Joint Director of the same organization, said due to such high rates of child marriage, the birth rate in Bangladesh is highest in South Asia. Child marriage eats up 9% of women's income and 1% of national income. Eliminating child marriage by 2030 could save 11% of our educational budget, he said.