The government is fighting the Covid-19 pandemic keeping almost everything normal.
All the offices, business establishments, development and construction works, production sectors, trading and commercial activities, markets, shopping centres, transportation sector, political and organisational activities, sports, recreation and various other sectors remain open across the country.
Although educational institutions remain closed, academic activities at different levels and various official and social activities remain open through the online process.
Earlier, there had been a lockdown imposed by the government in Bangladesh like in other countries. But, there is no rigidity except for the wearing of face masks.
All the development and construction activities in all the projects like the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Expressway and Metrorail are going on in full swing. Apart from the agricultural sector, the country’s biggest production sectors, like the garments and manufacturing sector remain open.
The trading and commercial activities at all the ports and export processing zones remain open. All the government, non-government and private offices are now open. All the roads and highways are now busy with the movement of transports. City roads remain jam-packed with various transports.
The parliament is holding its sessions regularly. The secretariat is open as usual. All the ministries, divisions, departments and directorates remain open.
The political sector is also busy with various activities. Around 300 elections were held in the last six months while many other elections are now in the process of participation with almost all the political parties.
The ruling Awami League has held councils of its different wings and units to select new leaderships.
Activities in the sports sector are also going on almost as usual. Recently, the Bangladesh-Nepal Football tournament was held. Cricket teams are playing with different countries.
Worship is going on at all the mosques and temples while all the museums, zoos, sea beaches, tourist centres and recreation centres have also been opened like in the past.
ASM Alamgir, Chief Scientific Officer of the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said, “It is not possible to continue lockdown in a country like Bangladesh. We must go back to normal life. But, everyone needs to move forward with an emphasis on hygiene.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy, said that the Information and communications technology (ICT) sector played vital roles in keeping various sectors open amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
While announcing the winners of the Joy Bangla Youth Award 2020 through a virtual programme on Tuesday, Joy, also the chairperson of Centre for Research and Information (CRI), said, different developed nations including the USA and European countries are witnessing trouble in facing the coronavirus pandemic, but Bangladesh is doing comparatively well to this end.
“We don’t want any death in the pandemic, but I would like to say we are doing better than different developed countries,” he said.
Joy said defying the negative aspects of Covid-19, Bangladesh’s economy remains on the right track. It has been possible due to the country’s outstanding progress in the sector of information and commutation technology, he said.
Had the country not made such progress in the ICT sector, it would not have been possible to keep the economy on the right track during the pandemic situation.
Besides, Prime Minister and Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday told the Jatiya Sangsad that her government, since the very beginning of COVID-19 outbreak, has been working relentlessly to tackle the lethal virus and revive the crippled economy by providing incentives.
Describing the present government as a people oriented government, she said the government’s incentive played a very significant role to tackle the adverse effect of the COVID-19 at all strata of life.
Sheikh Hasina said the present government led by Awami League has undertaken various steps to expand trade and commerce, including increasing production in the industrial sector, in order to revive the economy affected by the Corona.
Referring to a survey on COVID-19 and Bangladesh’s Livelihood Impact, conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, she said, the government assistance or relief has played an effective role in tackling the financial crisis during the pandemic.
The prime minister said the government, due to the Corona crisis, has announced 21 incentive packages worth about Taka 1,12,833 crore to protect the lives and livelihoods in different sectors, classes and professions of the country, which is also 4.3 percent of the total GDP.
She observed that the initiative of providing cash incentive to some 19 conventional and non-conventional products was to bring dynamism in the country’s export trade.
Sheikh Hasina said the supply of funds was increased to maintain liquidity in the economy so that the day-to-day business can run smoothly to cope with the financial shock caused by the virus.
Sheikh Hasina said, “Bangladesh Bank has already reduced the CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) and the Repo rate by 0.5 percent to increase money supply. And this will continue if necessary.”
At the same time, she mentioned that her government also gave special attention to controlling inflation.
She told the JS that as per the action plan taken to prevent and control the lethal virus, screening still continues at all entry points in the country while a-14-day quarantine has been made mandatory for foreign returnees.
About the COVID-19 vaccine, the prime minister said, the government in the meantime has signed a tripartite agreement with Serum Institute of India and Beximco Pharmaceuticals to import 30 million doses of vaccines.