A mobile court in Chandpur has imposed fines of Tk one lakh on a restaurant and the organiser of a post-wedding party at the venue for violating COVID prevention protocols.
Executive magistrate Mohammad Ujjal Hossain on Friday fined Rasuighar Chinese Restaurant and Party Centre in Chandpur district town and Abdul Latif of Faridganj upazila Tk 50,000 each for not adhering to government's COVID guidelines.
Ujjal Hossain said the local administration has issued guidelines to contain the spread of coronavirus as the country has been of late seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases as well as deaths.
Besides, the mobile court also fined nine people Tk 1,900 for ignoring COVID health guidelines across the district town on the same day.
Govt strengthens protective steps
The daily surge prompted the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to issue an 18-point directive on March 29 to prevent the transmission of the virus.
On the same day, the Health Ministry proposed strict measures like partial lockdowns for some places with higher COVID-19 transmission rates.
Other recommendations made by the ministry include closure of amusement centres and picnic spots, ban on religious gatherings, limiting wedding ceremonies, strengthening quarantine systems, limiting passengers in public transport, and limiting attendance in offices.
It also suggested strong enforcement of the ‘no mask, no service’ policy, increasing the number of mobile courts and slapping fines on health guideline violators.
Authorities in various districts have shut down amusement centres and are urging people to wear masks. But a large number of people are still reluctant to follow COVID protocols, putting themselves as well as others around them at risk.
COVID-19 situation
Bangladesh Friday recorded more than 6,800 new coronavirus cases for the second day in a row, as the government ramps up efforts to contain the transmission of the virus.
Bangladesh has so far recorded 624,594 coronavirus cases, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Vaccination drive
The government launched a countrywide vaccination campaign on February 7 with doses received from the Serum Institute of India.
Bangladesh inked an agreement with Serum in December last year for acquiring 30 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Serum is supposed to supply the doses between January and June this year – 5 million each month.
