Covid-19: Week-long lockdown in Bangladesh from Monday
New Delhi: On a day India registered nearly 90,000 fresh coronavirus cases on Friday—half of them in Maharashtra alone—over 6,800 Bangladeshis tested positive, prompting Dhaka to clamp a week-long nationwide lockdown, except for essential services, from Monday (April 5, 2021).
The Bangladesh government took the decision on Saturday as Covid-19 cases and deaths have surged across the country, Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader said at a media briefing on Saturday, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.
On Friday, the South Asian nation logged 6,830 new cases, the highest count in a day, taking the tally of total infections to 624,594. The death toll climbed by 50 in 24 hours to 9,155, according to data released by the government.
The decision was taken to arrest the spread of the virus, Quader, who is also the general secretary of the ruling Awami League, said.
However, the order does not apply to utility and emergency services.
Factories will remain open and workers can work shifts by following hygiene rules, the report said.
“Every office and court will be closed during this lockdown but industries and mills will continue their operation on rotation,” State Minister for Public Administration, Farhad Hossain, said.
On Monday, Prime Minister Hasina Wajed’s office had released an 18-point directive to check infections, including a ban on all public gatherings in areas with high rates of infections.
In a gazette notification, it directed to limit gatherings in all types of events, including social, political, and religious. Accordingly, buses will not be allowed to carry passengers more than half of their seating capacity and will have to maintain the safety Covid-19 safety guidelines.
(VP)
