The Bangladesh government on Wednesday planned to extend the ongoing lockdown to May 30 as the daily rate of new COVID-19 cases has continued to surge, according to the report.
Speaking to bdnews24 about the plans, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain said citizens would to be ordered to spend the Eid-ul-Fitr days in their own areas.
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The government would also put strict curbs on travels for seven days before and after the festival, the Minister further added.
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The travel curbs will begin four days before Eid and continue for two days until after the festival.
In keeping with the hygiene rules to reduce the risk of contagion, mosques are not allowed to use common carpets for prayers while devotees are required to carry individual prayer mats from home.
The government will issue the orders on the extension of the shutdown on Thursday, he told bdnews24.
The shutdown of all offices, workplaces and public transport system has been in place since March 26 after the detection of the first coronavirus cases and fatalities in Bangladesh.
The government had extended it several times to May 16 at the earliest, but eased some curbs such as allowing factories to reopen.
In March, the country announced a stimulus package of 50 billion taka ($5.9 million) to help export-oriented industries to counter the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic at home and abroad.
The total number of cases also soared to 17,822 after 1,162 people, in the steepest single-day jump, tested positive
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