Bangladesh shuts schools as coronavirus cases surge

Students arrive to attend their classes at the Rajuk Uttara Model College in Dhaka on Sept 12, 2021, as Bangladesh schools reopened after 18 months in one of the world's longest shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(MUNIR UZAMAN / AFP)

DHAKA / PHNOM PENH / SUVA – Bangladesh on Friday closed all schools and colleges for two weeks to counter an "alarming" rise in COVID-19 infections, just four months after ending a 1-1/2 year school closure imposed due to coronavirus.

The south Asian country reported 11,434 new cases on Friday, the biggest single-day jump since Aug 9, pushing the positivity rate to 28.5 percent.

Schools in Bangladesh reopened in September after one and half years, one of the world's longest coronavirus shutdowns

"We are seeing an uptick in infections in schools and colleges. This is really alarming," Health Minister Zahid Maleque told reporters.

He added that public gatherings like political rallies and religious functions involving more than 100 people had been prohibited, although the duration of the ban was not immediately clear.

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The healthcare system would be overwhelmed if the situation deteriorates further, Maleque said, adding more than a third of the hospital beds in the capital, Dhaka, have already been occupied by coronavirus patients.

Bangladesh has so far administered at least 151 million doses of vaccine since an inoculation drive began a year ago, with 47 percent of the population having had two shots.

Booster shots are administered to people over the age of 60 and healthcare and frontline workers.

The authorities have so far inoculated 2.89 million children aged 12-17 years.

Schools in Bangladesh reopened in September after one and half years, one of the world's longest coronavirus shutdowns.

It can take days to confirm the strain of a virus through genomic sequencing, and Bangladesh has so far confirmed 62 Omicron cases. Since the pandemic first swept into Bangladesh in March 2020, the country has recorded 1,664,616 cases, including 28,192 deaths.

Women buy fish from a vendor at a market in Phnom Penh on Nov 26, 2021.
(TANG CHHIN SOTHY / AFP)

Cambodia

Cambodia's Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Friday said the government allowed all patients infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the country to get treatment at home if they want.

Hun Sen said all foreigners, if testing positive for the Omicron variant, can undergo treatment wherever they want such as at embassies, hospitals, or hotels

"Now, Omicron patients are no longer required to undergo treatment at the COVID-19 designated hospitals because we have found that Omicron, even though it spreads fast, but it has lower severity than Delta and Alpha variants," he said in an audio message released publicly.

Hun Sen said all foreigners, if testing positive for the Omicron variant, can undergo treatment wherever they want such as at embassies, hospitals, or hotels.

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Locals can receive at-home treatment but must strictly follow regulations and treatment procedures set out by the Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said all Omicron patients, who are currently being treated in the COVID-19 designated hospitals, can immediately leave for treatment at home, hotels or wherever they prefer.

He said that from now on, all COVID-19 patients with the Delta, Alpha or Omicron variant can undergo treatment at home.

Since the pandemic hit the Southeast Asian country in January 2020, Cambodia has registered a total of 120,956 cases, with 3,015 deaths and 117,180 recoveries, according to the health ministry.

So far, the kingdom has administered at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to 14.32 million people, or 89.5 percent of its 16 million population, the ministry said, adding that 13.72 million people, or 85.8 percent, are fully vaccinated with receiving two required shots.

Most of the vaccines used in the country's inoculation program are China's Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines.  

Samoa

Samoa said it will start a 48-hour national lockdown from Saturday evening after reporting more COVID-19 cases from a recent charter flight from Australia.

The lockdown will start at 6 pm on Saturday and end at 6 pm local time on Monday.

Samoa will go into Alert Level 3 as there are now 15 confirmed COVID-19 cases, following a charter flight that flew in from Australia on Wednesday

Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said in a national address that the decision for Samoa to go into a lockdown follows the cabinet meeting and its approval while taking into consideration the country's safety.

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Samoa will go into Alert Level 3 as there are now 15 confirmed COVID-19 cases, following a charter flight that flew in from Australia on Wednesday, she said. Five more cases have tested positive on Saturday.

According to the prime minister, essential services of the Samoan government will continue, but there will be no public transport allowed except for authorized vehicles and those in essential services.

Schools, restaurants and churches across the island nation will also close.