Containment successful in 2 areas

Although Dhaka has by far the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country, two neighbourhoods at the heart of the city have managed to crush the Covid-19 curve.

Tolarbag in Mirpur and a Buet teachers' quarter were among the first few neighbourhoods in the capital with positive cases.

Residents in both areas took prompt action and with assistance from police, placed tough restrictions on people's movement on March 23. With contact tracing, testing and adherence to rules, they managed to avoid further transmission.

On April 12, just over two weeks into the government-enforced shutdown, Tolarbag was the hotspot with 17 positive cases and two deaths. Nine of them had recovered after taking treatment in hospitals and the rest did not need hospitalisation.

"We first identified the people who have been in contact with the two victims. We listed around 200 people and sent their samples for testing. Seventeen tested positive," Subhashis Biswas, president of Tolarbag Flat Owners' Association, told The Daily Star.

The association also requested the city corporation's assistance in enforcing the restrictions.

"We collected phone numbers of nearby grocery and drug stores and distributed them to all 672 flats. We requested the residents to order online or call the stores and ask for whatever would be needed. Then the people delivering the products were asked to leave the goods at the entrance of the neighbourhood. We had people pick the goods from there and take them to the flats after disinfecting the packages," he said.

No outsider has been allowed in the area since, and only those who have no other choice are allowed to go outside and after they return, security guards spray disinfectants on them or their vehicles.

There are proper hand washing facilities at the gate of each building and "a disinfection tunnel" is being built at the entrance, he said.

In another part of the city, after a Buet teacher's mother tested positive on March 23, residents placed similar restrictions on the teachers' quarter near Dhakeshwari Temple on Dhaka University campus. Two others in that teacher's flat tested negative afterwards.

Since then, everyone has stayed indoors unless there is an emergency and there has been no second case in the quarter, said Prof Pran Kanai Saha, president of the residents' association.

"We are not allowing any outsiders; drivers and house staff are not allowed unless there is an emergency," he said.

For grocery and other needs, the association made arrangements similar to the ones in Tolarbag.

The residents will continue to follow the guidelines until it is safe to return to normalcy, he added.

NOT SO GOOD ELSEWHERE

On March 23, the day the two neighbourhoods imposed the restrictions, a total of 282 people from 75 areas in the capital tested positive for coronavirus.

There were 11 cases in Jatrabari, seven in Razarbagh and two in Mohakhali, 12 in Mohammadpur and three in Tejgaon.

But over the weeks, the number of positive cases went past 7,000 in Dhaka and these five areas are now hotspots in the city.