We should learn from India's Covid tragedy: Health minister

Health Minister Zahid Maleque said that countrymen should learn a lesson from the dire pandemic situation in neighbouring India as the country continues to grapple under the second wave of Covid-19.

"India's inability to control public gatherings is the reason why the country is suffering today," he said on Thursday while talking in a virtual discussion on how to tackle the second wave of Covid-19 and overcome the oxygen crisis.

He asked fellow citizens to learn from India, the country that had its Covid-19 situation under control until it failed to maintain the Covid-19 health guidelines during social events like political campaigns, Holi, Kumbh Mela, and marriage celebrations.    

"The way people are binging on Eid shopping may also turn our Covid situation into something like India's," the minister warned, adding that new clothes may bring joy but it may also turn into tragedy.  

Zahid Maleque further said, "The government has extended the lockdown restrictions until Eid-ul-Fitr, including the suspension of train, launch, and inter-city public transports, in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus."

"Public transportation will remain suspended until the pandemic situation is brought under control," he added.    

A day after the Indian government said a third wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) was inevitable in the country, it recorded 412,262 fresh cases and 3,980 new deaths due to the virus on Thursday. With this, India's total infection tally went up to 21,077,410 and its death toll was pushed to 230,168, according to the Union health ministry dashboard.

The country, reeling under a highly infectious second wave, had registered over 300,000 cases in 24 hours for over two weeks before crossing the 4-lakh mark on Thursday. The daily death toll too, which crossed 3,000 on April 28, has stayed over the mark for over a week.