BRAC handed over its 430-room learning centre at Ashkona to the government today on Thursday (16 April) to use it as a quarantine facility for returnee migrants.

Also under a partnership with the government in a pilot project, BRAC has started collecting COVID-19 related community-level data from today (April 16) at the union level.

BRAC is further set to start kiosk-based COVID-19 testing separately at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in Dhaka and Narayanganj on a pilot basis.

Asif Saleh, Executive Director, BRAC, said all returnees from abroad should stay in quarantine for 14 days for public safety and safety of their family members, which they will be able to do with relative ease if there are suitable quarantine facilities adjacent to Dhaka.

“This idea and commitment to the society has led BRAC to hand its relatively large learning centre at Ashkona to the government," he said.

BRAC executive director urged individuals and organisations with means to join its fundraising initiative so that assistance can be reached to more people living in ultra-poverty and in urban slums. For details on its fundraising initiative please visit: https://www.brac.net/covid19/donate/.

BRAC has been conducting a nationwide massive community awareness campaign since the outbreak of coronavirus in the country. As a partner of the Bangladesh government’s COVID-19 response plan, over 100 thousand of its staff, health workers and volunteers are deployed to conduct the campaign jointly with local administration and public representative bodies.

So far, more than 600,000 sachets of liquid soap, soap bars and hand sanitiser have been distributed across the country. Health workers and mass people received more than 55,000 surgical masks and 81,000 gloves for personal protection against COVID-19.

BRAC has already started manufacturing reusable masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) through its hygienic home-based production units and distributed approximately 350,000 masks and 2,150 PPEs.

Alongside running an extensive information, education and communication campaign at community level, BRAC is also conducting mass and digital media campaigns to sensitise people with messages of respiratory hygiene, social distancing, coughing etiquettes and hand washing. Renowned physicians, artists, policymakers and senior BRAC officials have joined the campaigns to raise awareness. For campaign details and content please visit http://www.brac.net/covid19/