Bangladesh asks schools, colleges to ensure use of masks amid COVID resurgence

The Director General of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) Azad Khan has called on all educational institutions across Bangladesh to enforce mask-wearing and health protocols, as fears grow over a new wave of infections.

In a Facebook post on Monday, he requested all institutions under the DSHE to implement the latest health guidelines from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

“Following the COVID-19 protocol is mandatory,” he wrote.

The country’s schools and colleges are currently closed for Eid-ul-Azha and summer holidays, reports bdnews24.com.

Secondary and lower secondary schools will remain shut until Jun 19, colleges until Jun 12, madrasas until Jun 16, and primary schools until Jun 23.

Earlier on Jun 4, the DGHS’s disease control division issued guidelines to take precautionary steps amid fears of rising COVID-19 cases.

The advisory recommended frequent handwashing with soap, wearing masks to cover the nose and mouth, maintaining a distance of three feet from infected people, avoiding touching the face with unclean hands, and covering the nose and mouth with an arm, tissue or cloth when sneezing or coughing.

With infections rising in several South Asian countries, including India, the DGHS has urged people to avoid travel to India and other affected countries.

Enhanced health screening and monitoring at all land and airports have also been instructed.

The railways ministry has requested passengers returning to Dhaka by train after the Eid break to wear masks.

The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has made a similar appeal to metro rail users.

COVID-19 first emerged in China on Dec 31, 2019, and reached Bangladesh two months later.

For three years, strict health measures including mask mandates and lockdowns were enforced to contain the virus.

During lockdowns, cities emptied, offices, courts, schools and colleges shifted online, and many lost jobs.

Border controls and flight suspensions were imposed, disrupting supply chains and driving up the price of essentials.

Hospitals were overwhelmed by COVID patients, resulting in many deaths.

After about three years, infection rates dropped and normal life gradually resumed.

Recently, a new variant NB.1.8.1 has caused an increase in cases. Indian states such as Kerala, Gujarat, West Bengal and Delhi are considered hotspots.

India reported six deaths in a single day from the new variant.

On Thursday, Bangladesh reported one COVID-related death in Dhaka, the first in over a year and a half.

To prevent further spread, the health ministry appealed to the public to wear masks in crowded places.

Since 2020, Bangladesh has tested over 15.7 million samples, confirming 2.05 million COVID cases and recording 29,500 deaths.

No COVID deaths were reported in 2024, while 37 occurred in 2023 and 1,368 in 2022.

The highest annual toll was 20,513 in 2021, followed by 7,559 deaths in 2020.