VIF Neighborhood News Digest: April 9, 2020

PAKISTAN

300 Pakistani students stranded in Bangladesh cry out for help: Dawn

April 9, 2020

For over 300 Pakistani students studying in Bangladesh under the SAARC quota scholarship programme, life these days seems to be a never-ending nightmare. “Earlier, I was residing in a hostel in Rajshahi and after my fellow students from India, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka were evacuated by their respective countries, I was shifted to a hostel in Dhaka,” said medical student Rija Hameed while talking to Dawn. Most male and female students said limited access to food amid a lockdown in the country coupled with Bangladesh’s fragile healthcare system was making them nervous. Click here to read.... [2]

AFGHANISTAN

Afghan Govt Releases 100 Taliban Prisoners: TOLO

April 9, 2020

Following weeks of delays, the Afghan government on Wednesday announced the release of 100 Taliban prisoners, a move expected to be a step closer to intra-Afghan talks. The Office of the National Security Council in a statement confirmed the release of the prisoners, saying it was the fulfillment of a recent decree made by President Ashraf Ghani. “Pursuant to President Ghani’s decree of March 11, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan released 100 Taliban prisoners today based on their health condition, age and length of remaining sentence as part of our efforts for peace and containment of COVID-19,” the Office of National Security Council said in a statement on Wednesday. Click here to read.... [3]

BANGLADESH

Coronavirus: Dhaka slum under lockdown: Dhaka Tribune

April 9, 2020

Police said an estimated 300-350 families or around 1,500 low income people live in the slum located in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. A slum in Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area had been put under lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus after a resident of the slum tested positive for Covid-19 infection. Jan-e-Alam Munshi, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station, confirmed the matter on Wednesday. The resident who tested positive for Covid-19 - caused by a new strain of coronavirus - is from Motaharer slum of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and a temporary worker for the National Institute of Laboratory Medicine and Referral Centre. Click here to read.... [4]

MYANMAR

Myanmar health ministry says quarantine is crucial to anti-virus fight: Myanmar Times

April 9, 2020

Putting people in quarantine who recently arrived from abroad or are suspected of being carriers is crucial to the government’s effort to contain COVID-19, the Health Ministry said. U Thar Tun Kyaw, the ministry’s director general and permanent secretary, cited the newest cases, a 24-year-old woman and her 51-year-old mother, who were quarantined upon arrival at Yangon International Airport on March 26. The authorities quarantined the two women in the same room at a hotel in Botahtaung Township in downtown Yangon for 14 days after they returned to Yangon from the US via Seoul and Bangkok. Click here to read.... [5]

NEPAL

Government to roll out rapid testing kits without waiting for assessment results: The Kathmandu Post

April 9, 2020

Although rapid test kits acquired from China have yet to be tested for validity and efficacy, the government is pushing through with using them in mass tests for Covid-19 in two provinces—Gandaki and in Sudurpaschim. Earlier this month, the government had procured 75,000 rapid test kits from China through a controversial tender with a private company, Omni Business Corporate International. After the tender was heavily criticised for the manner in which it was awarded and questions were raised about the quality of the equipment procured, the tender was annulled. Click here to read.... [6]

Sri Lanka

Tracking down associates early helped limit COVID-19 spread - Ministry: Daily Mirror

April 9, 2020

The Health Ministry, yesterday said that Sri Lankan authorities with the assistance of military intelligence were able to track down within hours, those who had associated with COVID-19 patients, thus limiting the spread of the virus and keeping Sri Lanka at stage 3 of the pandemic. Officials from the Health Ministry told Daily Mirror that once a patient came forward with symptoms or if they were identified by the authorities, their houses were immediately disinfected and sealed and intelligence was able to identify all those who the patient had come in contact with for days. Click here to read.... [7]

CHINA

Wuhan liberated but Xi's coronavirus victory day remains elusive: Nikkei Asia Review

April 9, 2020

After 76 days in lockdown, the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the initial epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, reopened its doors allowing planes, trains and cars to leave the city. But the doors only opened half way. People are still forbidden to fly from Wuhan to the capital Beijing, which is trying to lay the groundwork to hold the delayed annual session of the National People's Congress, China's parliament. Click here to read.... [8]

China’s Coronavirus Battle Is Waning: Its Propaganda Fight Is Not: New York Times

April 9, 2020

For months the Chinese government’s propaganda machine had been fending off criticism of Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak, and finally, it seemed to be finding an audience. Voices from the World Health Organization to the Serbian government to the rapper Cardi B hailed China’s approach as decisive and responsible. Click here to read.... [9]