East Rajabazar to go under ‘experimental’ lockdown from Tuesday midnight: DNCC

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam on Monday said capital Dhaka's East Rajabazar will be put under 'experimental' lockdown from Tuesday midnight.

“The decision was taken as the density of Covid-19 patients increased in this area,” he said at an online meeting of Covid-19 prevention committee, reports United News of Bangladesh.

The meeting decided to set a control room at Naznin School and College in East Rajabazar with DNCC ward councilor and representatives from Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Dhaka Metropolitan Police, A2i, E-commerce of Bangladesh (E-Cab) and other concerned.

Only one entrance and exit at Green Road beside IBA Hostel will be open while all kinds of vehicle movement will be shut in the area.

Public movement will be limited while people living in East Rajabazar will not be permitted to go out and none from outside can enter the area as well.

Daily essentials, medical goods will be available online and it will be sent to houses by A2i and E-Cab while a group of trained workforce was prepared for home delivery.

One or two vans will carry vegetables, fish, meat and other goods in the area for the people who do not have online facilities, said DNCC Mayor.Van drivers and goods will be disinfected before entering the area.

Local Ward Councilor Faridur Rahman has made a list of workless distress people and relief goods will be provided to them.

DGHS will provide telemedicine service for the sick people.

The information about lockdown is being announced from religious institutions from Monday.

A booth for Covid-19 testing will be kept open from 10am to 4pm at Naznin School and College which will be led by DGHS and Brac.

Police will continue patrolling while mobile courts will be active in the lockdown area.

Ambulance and workers of emergency services like electricity, water and gas supply will be allowed to enter the lockdown area.

A cleanliness team of DNCC will work for waste management but no medical wastes can be mixed with households wastes.

Anyone can contact emergency number 333 for relief.

Earlier on Saturday, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain said the government is planning to designate areas according to coloured zones - red, yellow and green - to stem the spread of coronavirus.

Different parameters have been set to separate the three and avoid arbitrary zoning.

Areas with 30 infections per 100,000 of population will be marked as ‘Red Zones’, he said adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will take final decision after reviewing the proposal.

Outside the capital, areas with ten confirmed cases per 100,000 people will be categorised as Red Zone,” he said.

For areas that have three to 19 cases per 100,000 of population will be categorised as ‘Yellow Zones’, he said, adding that areas with even fewer cases will be ‘Green Zones’.

Bangladesh has so far reported 68,554 coronavirus cases and 930 deaths.

Contact number of ground coordination

Faridur Rahman Iran, ward 27 councilor- 01911380633, local regional executive officer Masud Hossain- 01715407139, Officer-in-Charge of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station- 01713398335, Brac representative Dr Farhana- 01713095279, IEDCR representative Dr Farzana-   01719212591, PS to Ward Councilor Masud Hossain- 01711939796