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15,000 Rohingya under quarantine as coronavirus cases rise
At least 15,000 Rohingya refugees are under quarantine in Bangladesh’s vast camps, as the number of confirmed coronavirus infections there rose to 29.
Health experts have long warned that the virus could race through the cramped settlements, housing almost a million Rohingya who fled violence in Myanmar, and officials had restricted movement in the area in April.
Despite this, the first cases in the camps were detected in mid-May.
“None of the infections are critical. Most hardly show any symptoms. Still, we have brought them in isolation centres and quarantined their families,” Toha Bhuiyan, a senior health official in the surrounding Cox’s Bazar area told AFP news agency on Monday.
He said narrow roads to three camp districts – where the majority of the infections were detected – have been blocked off by authorities.
The 15,000 Rohingya inside these so-called blocks faced further restrictions on their movement, he said.
This comes as charity workers expressed fears over being infected in the camps as they worked without adequate protection.
Two of the areas under isolation are in Kutupalong camp, home to roughly 600,000 Rohingya.
“We are trying to scale up testing as fast as possible to make sure that we can trace out all the infected people and their contacts,” Bhuiyan said.
Seven isolation centres with the capacity to treat more than 700 COVID-19 patients have been prepared, he said, with officials hoping to have just under 2,000 by the end of May.
But, according to Nay San Lwin, co-founder of Free Rohingya Coalition, there are not enough ICU beds and ventilators available for refugees and the local community in Cox’s Bazar region.
Mahbubur Rahman, chief health official of Cox’s Bazar, said authorities hoped this week they would double the number of tests being performed daily, which stand at 188.
He said further entry restrictions have been imposed on the camp, with a 14-day quarantine in place for anyone visiting from Dhaka.
-AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
News
Government takes further actions against illegal mining
Government in its continued efforts to clamp down on the long-standing menace of Illegal Small-Scale Mining, has concluded operational measures to intensify the ongoing “Operation Halt”.
This was contained in a statement issued by the ministry of Information on Wednesday October 9, 2024.
According to the government, the initiative is led by the Ghana Armed forces, to rid the river bodies of all forms of mining activities.
This phase of the operation will be done in conjunction with the Small-Scale Miners Association of Ghana.
As part of the measures, the government has reasserted that river bodies and forest reserves remain red zones.
Additionally, the government has reiterated its commitment to the fight against illegal small-scale mining and calls on all stakeholders to join the fight.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
News
Breaking: Organised Labour suspends strike
Barely twenty-four hours to Organized Labour’s nationwide strike, its leadership have backtracked on their action by suspending the industrial action.
The strike, had garnered the backing of various unions, and aimed at pressuring the government to take decisive action on illegal mining (galamsey) and other pressing issues.
They arrived at this crucial decision during an emergency meeting held on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, where union leaders assessed the situation and agreed to call off the industrial action.
The decision to suspend the strike comes as a surprise to many, as unions had appeared resolute in their stance during previous meetings and public statements.
However, in the submission to union members, the Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, indicated that the President had directed the Lands Minister to submit a request to Parliament for the revocation of L.I. 2462.
He mentioned that this, along with the deployment of soldiers to assist in the fight and the establishment of 14 courts for the trial of all arrested illegal miners showed enough commitment on the government’s part.
This notwithstanding, he added that the Organised Labour would continue to monitor the implementation and government’s commitment to fighting illegal mining.
Organised Labour had initially planned the indefinite strike to compel the government to declare a state of emergency and ramp up efforts to address the environmental devastation caused by illegal mining.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
