Rohingya refugee camps put under lockdown

All 34 Rohingya refugee settlements at Ukhia and Teknaf in the country’s southern district of Cox’s Bazar have been put under lockdown as part of effort to stem coronavirus pandemic.

Md Mahbub Alam Talukder, Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), confirmed the news to risingbd on Wednesday.

He said the deputy commissioner (DC) has declared putting the entire Cox’s Bazar under lockdown to prevent coronavirus spread. In this case, the Rohingya camps are also under the district. The Rohingya settlements, however, were put under unofficial lockdown since March 11. All activities except supplying emergency health and food services currently remain suspended due to lockdown.

He further said the lockdown was enforced for indefinite period. The Rohingya community, more than one million people who have migrated from Myanmar’s Rakhine province, was asked to stay inside their makeshift camps until further notice. The decision was taken to stem the coronavirus outbreak.


Cox’s Bazar/Rubel/AKA