Many Bangladeshi nationals – about 300 of them– have got stranded at the Petrapole immigration centre, which is about 80 km from Kolkata, as Dhaka decided to close borders with India to contain the spread of Covid 19. Borders will remain closed for 14 days.
"Bangladesh took the decision in view of rapid increase of coronavirus infection in India,” Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen told reporters.
Many of the Bangladeshis stuck on the other side of the border are patients or students, a Dhaka Tribune report said. “Already, air travel between India and Bangladesh has been suspended since April 14 with the beginning of the second wave of Covid-19 from the second week of March in Bangladesh,” the newspaper said.
However, trade both exports and imports are operational.
On Tuesday, Bangladesh also approved the emergency use of Russia made Sputnik V vaccine amid uncertainties over availability of India made Covishield. Production of vaccines in India was hit due to US delaying exports of critical raw material for vaccine production.
Meanwhile, the Sheikh Hasina government, which had imposed a stringent lockdown on April 5, eased the restrictions in the wake of the upcoming Eid festival. Speaking at the 77th session of the UN-ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific that was held virtually, Hasina said that the developed world and the development partners' must join hands to ensure quick recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
