Don’t impose lockdown, raise safety awareness instead: FBCCI president

The government should increase public awareness instead of imposing lockdowns in Bangladesh to handle the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Md Jashim Uddin, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said today.

He made the call at the "Meet the Reporters" event organised by the Dhaka Reporters' Unity on its Nasrul Hamid auditorium in the capital.

"Lockdown is not a solution to prevent epidemics, but rather it increases the misery of low-income people and affects the country's trade and economy the most."

Currently, export orders are coming in great numbers to Bangladesh and the work is going on in full swing now, he said.

"In this case if the government imposes something like lockdown, the economy will suffer in the long run," said the FBCCI chief.

Public awareness should be raised and it should be ensured that everyone wears a mask to control this epidemic, Jashim said.

"We have to live with Covid, which may never go."

At this time, no country in the world is considering a lockdown and the FBCCI hopes the prime minister will not impose it in Bangladesh now, he said.

He also urged banks to extend more loans to the small and medium enterprises.

"A huge number of our educated youths are still unemployed where our garments industry is running with around 15 per cent worker shortage. We need more skilled human resources," he hoped.   

The president of the apex trade body also suggested the government sit with the stakeholders and conduct impact assessment before formulating any policy for the private sector.