Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) representations she has made to the Bangladeshi Government and (b) assessment she has made on the effect of telecommunications restrictions in refugee camps in Bangladesh on work to reduce covid-19 infection rates in those camps.

Through Ministers and the British High Commission in Dhaka, we continue to raise the issue of telecommunications restrictions in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh with representatives of the Government of Bangladesh.

Restrictions on 3G and 4G communications in the Rohingya camps are severely hindering COVID-19 preparedness. There are currently no reported cases of COVID-19 in the refugee camps in Bangladesh; however, these restrictions limit the ability of agencies to share information with the refugees and with each other; and for the Rohingya to self-organise. Good communications are critical for preparedness, surveillance, response, delivering critical services, and for maintaining stability in the camps.