SA leaders to discuss coronavirus issues today

The South Asian countries are set to hold a video conference on jointly tackling coronavirus crisis at the level of, in most of the cases, the heads of the governments on Sunday afternoon as several countries including India, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan had already imposed restrictions on foreign travellers to visit the countries.

The conference is scheduled to take place at 1700 hours ‘to chalk out a strong strategy to fight coronavirus’ at the initiative of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. 

‘We could discuss, via video conferencing, ways to keep our citizens healthy,’ Modi said in a tweet.

All member countries of SAARC, including Pakistan, welcomed the idea and affirmed participation in the meet.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to join the video conference.

India has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the SAARC region with 84 tested positive with two fatalities.

At least twenty cases have been reported in Pakistan, three in Bangladesh, 11 in Afghanistan, two cases in Sri Lanka and one person in Bhutan and Nepal each. Meanwhile, the Maldives reported its ninth case on Friday.

World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently announced COVID-19 a global pandemic.

The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 84 on Saturday, which includes one death each in Delhi and Karnataka.

India has suspended visas for all foreign nationals for two months since March 13 afternoon and cut air, rail and road travel services.

 The Bangladesh authorities cancelled on-arrival visa facilities for citizens of Chinese, Iran, South Korea and Italy.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines has decided to cancel several international flights on case by case basis from this week.

All incoming passengers from abroad were asked to go for compulsory two-week quarantine in most of the cases at their home and in some cases at the government-controlled facilities.

The government has launched a campaign for people to maintain personal hygiene and cleanliness.

The Nepal government temporarily stopped issuing on-arrival tourist visas to all countries and has put an end to all spring mountaineering expeditions, including Everest ascents, according to the Kathmandu Post.

The meeting also decided to restrict traveller movement to and from India via land routes and adhere to strict quarantine measures at the border.

No decision has been made to close down schools and colleges.

The remote Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan has reported its first confirmed case of the COVID-19 coronavirus after a tourist visiting the country from the US tested positive, the office of prime minister Lotay Tshering announced on Friday morning, according to the daily Kuensel.

In a statement posted on social media, the prime minister’s office added that there would be ‘two weeks’ restriction on all incoming tourists with immediate effect’ in a bit to limit the impact of the disease.

Sri Lanka has reported three new cases of coronavirus on Saturday taking the total in hospital to 8, while a Chinese national had been discharged earlier, and authorities have banned public gatherings, according to the Economy Next.

Of the 7 patients in hospital 4 were returnees from Italy, 2 were locally infected from an Italian tour group and one person returned from Germany.

Over 1,600 were in quarantine centres by Saturday afternoon.

The Pakistan government has shut borders for two weeks and limited fights in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Pakistan shut all its schools and land borders on Friday and decided to limit international flights and discourage large gatherings to try to halt the spread of coronavirus, ministers said.

The Maldivian authorities have kept a resort under lockdown after two staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, CNN reported.

Guests at the Kuredu Island Resort, one of the largest resorts in the Maldives, were told on Saturday that they could not leave the resort until further notice.

Afghanistan on Saturday announced the closure of all educational institutions to stem the coronavirus pandemic.

The country’s health and education ministries announced that the ongoing winter holidays would be extended for one more month until April 21 to contain the outbreak.

With the total number of confirmed cases surging to 11, Afghanistan cancelled all sports events.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net