Bangladesh Govt Extends Ongoing Curb till 28 April

The government has extended the ongoing curb by another week till 28 April as Covid-19 infections keep surging here. 

A gazette notification was issued today saying restrictions imposed in the previous week will be effective during the extended period too.

Restrictions at a glance 

All government, semi-government, autonomous and private offices will be closed and all employees must take position at their work stations. However, this rule is not applicable to air, sea, river, land ports and their concerned offices;

Banks and stock markets will remain open on a limited scale.

All modes of transports (road, sea, rail, domestic and international flights) will be closed. This order is not applicable in case of transportation of commodities, production and emergency services. However, special and chartered flights will be in operations.

Industries and factories will be run by their own management complying with the health guidelines. However, the organisations have to ensure transportation of their workers.  

Law enforcement and other emergency services such as agricultural elements (fertilizer, seeds, pesticides, equipment etc), crops and transportation, relief distribution, health services, covid-19 vaccination, electricity, water, gas/petroleum, fire service, port activities (land, river, sea), telephone and internet (government-private), media (print and electronic media), private security systems, post and other emergency and essential products and services related offices, their employees and vehicles are not included in the ban;

Except for absolute necessity (medicine and daily essential products, treatment, burial/funeral, etc), no one can go outside. However, one can go for vaccination by showing the vaccine card. 

Food shops and hotels-restaurants will be open for takeaway/online from 12 pm to 7 pm and 12 am to 6 am. Shopping malls and other shops will be closed.

Kitchen markets materials and daily necessities can be bought and sold in the open from 9 are to 3 pm in accordance with hygiene rules. Market authorities / local administration will confirm the matter.

A maximum of 20 persons will be allowed in a mosque at a time to attend the daily five times prayers.

The decision to extend lockdown was taken in an inter-ministerial meeting on Monday after the national technical advisory committee on Covid-19 recommended the lockdown be extended by another seven days.

Bangladesh reported more than 100 fatalities in the last four consecutive days. On Monday, the single-day highest 112 deaths were reported.

The Covid-19 death toll reached 10,497 in the country with a fatality rate of 1.45%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

On 14 April, Bangladesh enforced the countrywide complete restriction when 1 out of 5 tested people came with Covid-19 positive result.

In the first week of April, the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 recommended a two-week strict restriction as the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country harder in recent weeks.

But the government imposed an apparently loose nationwide restriction for one week from 5 April as part of its move to contain its spread.