DU halls reopen after 18 long months

Authorities on Tuesday reopened the residential halls of Dhaka University (DU) after 18 long months of Covid-19 closure.

The move comes after the country is seeing a steady decline in its virus cases and deaths.

Final year students, of both masters and honour's programmes, who received at least one coronavirus jab, started moving into their respective halls after the gates opened at around 8am.

They were welcomed with flowers, chocolates, and masks while maintaining the Covid-19 health safety guidelines.

The students were allowed inside the halls after they showed their vaccine certificates and valid ID cards.

Speaking to The Business Standard, Professor Dr Abdul Basir, convener of Provost Standing Committee, said: "We are hopeful that students of other academic years will soon be able to move back to their respective halls. Most probably within the next two weeks"

Meanwhile, DU Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Md Akhtaruzzaman visited Bijoy Ekattor Hall at 10am and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall at 10:30am, to oversee the proceedings.

Earlier, on 28 September, the Provost Standing Committee and the academic council came up with the decision to reopen halls at a syndicate meeting with the DU VC in the chair.

On March 20 last year, the residential halls were shut down following a major outbreak of Covid-19 in Bangladesh.

The government had decided to reopen halls and universities in March and May this year but that got postponed due to the surge in covid-affected figures in the country.