No panic, avoid mass gathering: PM urges people

In the wake of detection of the first coronavirus cases in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday urged the people of the country not to panic and avoid any mass gathering.

Sheikh Hasina made the call while talking about coronavirus at the weekly Cabinet meeting held at her office with the PM in the chair, reports UNB.

“The Prime Minister requested you (people) not to get panicked…Since it’s a contagious virus, her directive is to avoid any huge mass gathering as much as possible,” said Health Services Division Secretary Md Ashadul Islam at a press briefing at the Secretariat after the meeting.

The secretary said the government started taking preparations from the very beginning of the coronavirus outbreak in China.

“We’ve taken three-tier measures in the wake of coronavirus outbreak. The first measure was to prevent the entry of the virus into Bangladesh, while the second one is controlling its transmission in the case of entry and the third measures is the overall management in this regard,” he said.

Following the detection of coronavirus cases in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister gave the authorities concerned the necessary directives in this regard, said Ashadul Islam.

The Health Secretary said people know only how many people are being affected or died in coronavirus from media, but they do not know how many people get cured after virus infection. “So, there’s no need to get panicked,” he said.