Bangladeshis in a tight spot amid Covid-19 lockdown in Russia

Bangladeshi expatriates in Russia are finding themselves in a tight spot as many of them face sudden financial hardship amid the ongoing lockdown measures to curb Covid-19 outbreak.

Russia reported 9,200 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, down from 10,598 new cases reported the previous day, according to Reuters.

Russia's coronavirus taskforce told Reuters the overall number of cases nationwide stood at 272,043, adding that 119 people had died over the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll from the virus to 2,537.

Some factory and construction workers in Russia returned to work on May 12 after President Vladimir Putin ordered a gradual easing of coronavirus lockdown measures despite a sharp increase in new cases of the novel virus.

I came to Russia's Voronezh region several months ago, and over the last couple of months the situation in the country has become quite frustrating for expatriate Bangladeshis here as they are struggling to make ends meet under the lockdown.

Most of them are students pursuing higher studies in the Russian universities while also doing part-time jobs to bear their expenses here.

However, now everything being closed under the lockdown, they are unable to work and nor can they manage financial help from their families in Bangladesh since there is no direct banking system between the two countries.

Many of them, especially the female students, are unemployed and do not have the support of their families, but they cannot say anything for fear of embarrassment.

We have already contacted the Embassy of Bangladesh in Russia several times through different universities, but no decisive steps have been taken so far.

Meanwhile, the lockdown measure is having a devastating effect on education system and on trade and commerce. The duration of lockdown and home quarantine is constantly being extended, which is creating fear and panic among the people here.

The Russian authorities initially claimed the situation to be under control, but as the number of infections and the death toll continue to rise, question emerges regarding the preparedness of the authorities for Covid-19 response.

Moreover, Russia's borders and air travels are currently completely closed, hence foreign nationals are not able to leave for their country either.

If the ongoing situation continues longer, the country's economy will suffer terribly.

This will add to the hardships of the Bangladeshis living here along with expatriates from other countries beside the local people.

The author is a student at Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technology in Russia