Bangladesh’s first Chief Heat Officer Bushra Afreen has tested positive for Covid-19.
Mokbul Hossain, Public Relations Officer of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), confirmed the matter.
He said she had fever on Friday morning and underwent a coronavirus test. Later, her test results came out positive. She is currently in home isolation. She has a cough and weakness.
Bushra, daughter of DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam, has been appointed as Bangladesh’s first Chief Heat Officer recently.
Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center (Arsht-Rock), an international organization working on climate change, appointed her for the post to work in DNCC areas to help tackle climate change risks.
In an interview with British daily The Independent, Bushra said, “Dhaka is my home but it’s not a city that I recognise anymore because of the unbearable heat. Unlivable - that’s the word which commonly gets associated with Dhaka now.”
“I want to push more engagement and work with all communities but especially those who are really vulnerable,” Bushra said.
Apart from Dhaka, six other cities around the world have chief heat officers, including UN habitat, Miami of US, Santiago of Chile, Freetown of Sierra Leone, Athens of Greece, Melbourne of Australia.