The first confirmed case of Covid-19 in Bangladesh was declared on 8th March 2020. There has been a very little improvement since then. This densely populated country has a low rate of Covid-19 test, but still a high rate of infection. The worse news is, coronavirus has faster mutation rate in Bangladesh.

According to a study by Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), coronavirus mutation rate in the world is 7.23 percent, while the rate in Bangladesh is 12.6 percent. That means, this beautiful country will not get of this notorious virus soon.

Bangladesh is a country of natural beauty. The main tourist attractions are Cox’s bazar- the longest sea beach of the world, saint martin  coral island, Sundarban-the largest mangrove forest, Kuakata sea beach- where one can see both sunrise and sunset, Majestic hills of Bandarban, Rangamati, sajek, Khagrachhari and Sylhet’s Ratargul swamp forest . These are just to name a few. In 2019 total 3,23,959 tourists came to visit Bangladesh. Currently Bangladesh is not giving tourist visa. SO, if you’re a foreigner, travelling to Bangladesh for a trip is not an option now.

If you live in Bangladesh, travelling from one district to another just for fun during this pandemic cannot be considered safe. There had been two spikes in the graph of infection after Eid-ul –fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha. It’s because a lot of people moved from one district to another during these two occasions.  Some tourist spots of Bangladesh have been open for visitors for last one month.  For example, Cox’s Bazar is now open for visitors under some strict hygiene rules. All the tourists, hotel/motel workers have to abide by 65 hygiene rules issued by the government. If you are a tourist intended to visit cox’s bazar, you have to obey the following 12 rules:

  1. If  you have any symptom of Covid-19, like fever, runny nose and others, you should not visit cox’s bazar.
  2. As soon as you reach your hotel, you should take a bath. Without taking a bath, you should not go sightseeing.
  3. ‘No mask, no service’ rule is being followed in cox’s bazar. Under no circumstance, you should go out without mask. You’ll get no service and will be fined.
  4. You should abide by the hygiene rules and encourage others to do so.
  5. It is discouraged to eat at the hotel’s dinning space. Rather, it’s encouraged for you to order your foods to your room.
  6. You should restrict your movements to the nearby hotels, beaches and shops only. You should not go to crowded places like bazaars.
  7. Tourists are requested to pray inside their hotel rooms.
  8. While riding a speedboat, rickshaw or taxi , you shouldn’t share your ride with any stranger.
  9. If you see any team of tourists, you should maintain at least 3 feet distance from them.
  10. It is not forbidden but discouraged to go far from the hotel-motel area, marine drive, the adjacent beach and nearby tourist spots.
  11. During normal time, it’s quite common to arrange facebook events to visit cox’s bazar with a group of strangers. Such events are not allowed now.
  12. It is forbidden now to organize any concert, rally, marriage anniversary, birthday or any type of party at the beach or hotel which can potentially create gathering.

These are the hygiene rules you must abide by, if you want to go to cox’s bazar. But these rules should not be limited to cox’s bazar only.  No matter where you travel during this pandemic, you should follow these rules for your own safety and your family’s as well.

Sources:

  • Bangladesh Tourism Board’s website
  • The daily Prothom Alo
  • The daily Bangladesh Protidin