Parents worried their children abroad will contract Covid-19
Bangladeshis who are currently living abroad are trying to convince their parents that they are safe
Every time Shahjahan Ali watches the news, he starts worrying about his son who is currently studying in the United Kingdom.
Shahjahan panicked when he heard that even young people have been falling victim to the novel coronavirus.
"I cannot lose my son. I told him to return home. My wife cries all the time for her son," he said with tears in his eyes.
Like him, thousands of other parents whose children live abroad have one question on their minds: "Will my child catch Covid-19?"
Bangladeshis who are currently living abroad are trying to convince their parents that they are safe.
"My father watches the news on the television and becomes upset," said Shahjahan's son Shumon Zihady, who went to the UK last year and is currently enrolled at Exeter University in Devon.
"He calls me several times a day, asking me to return. I try to convince him but he is too worried about me. So, I have decided to return home," he said.
Md Abdul Gafur, a resident of Ghatail upazila in Tangail, told The Business Standard that his son is studying in Germany.
"I am always thinking about my son. I am trying to get updates from time to time. And I, along with my wife, stay glued to the television and keep watching the news all day."
He said they cannot sleep properly, always in fear for their son.
"Our son is everything to us," he said.
Their son, Anwar Hossain Sagor, is currently studying at the European University of Flensburg in Germany.
He said that all educational institutions and research centres have been closed till April 19 in Germany.
"We are in a lot of trouble as most of the Bangladeshi students are working part-time at these research centres. It will be tough for us to bear academic and other expenses if the situation continues," he said.
"About 1 lakh people have been infected with Covid-19 here. My parents know this. They always call me for updates. They are very worried about me," Sagor said.
Anwar Hossain Howlader, another parent from Bhola, said that his son is studying at the Malaya University in Malaysia.
"It is very painful for me that I am not beside my son during this crisis. My son told me that he is well. However, I saw on the news that even the king of Malaysia has been infected," he said, asking, "So how can I stop worrying?"
