Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Sunday termed the government’s moves over declaring a ‘lockdown’ to tackle the surge in Covid infections as ‘a mockery with the nation’.

‘The government initially announced a seven-day lockdown with effect from Monday. Later, it said that the lockdown would begin from Thursday. It is simply a mockery, making fun of people,’ BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said at a press conference at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office.

He said that the  ‘lockdown’ had totally failed because of the government’s inefficiency and lack of accountability.

‘Poor people are becoming poorer. Without providing cash incentives to day labourers and informal sector workers, implementation of a lockdown would not possible,’ Fakhrul said.

He said that people were making various funs of the government’s announcements about the ‘lockdown’.
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He said that a BNP standing committee meeting chaired by its acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday expressed concern over the crisis of health facilities in bordering districts hit hard by the Delta variant of coronavirus.

Tarique joined the meeting virtually.

‘An acute crisis of medical equipment and lifesaving medicines has created massive risks for people while the Central Medical Store Depot has almost run out of stock of the items,’ he added.

‘The stock of remdesivir injections, Covid testing kits, ventilators and high flow nasal cannulas is nearing to end. The number of ICU beds and oxygen supply facilities is not enough,’ he said, adding that the parliamentary standing committee on the health ministry has also expressed its dissatisfaction over the ministry’s claim that it has enough stock of ‘everything’.

The BNP suggested that the government should take necessary steps to prevent the surge in Covid infections consulting with experts, the national committee concerned, volunteer organiations, NGOs and political leaders.

Replying to a question about recent media reports on the leadership of Tarique, the BNP secretary general said that there was no leadership crisis in the BNP.

‘Under the leadership of Tarique Rahman, the BNP is more united than the past,’ Fakhrul said, adding that the party is united by following instructions of Tarique from London.