Bangladesh has cancelled passenger trains as the country strives to prevent the COVID-19 from spreading locally.
In the early hours of Tuesday, the Bangladesh Railway suspended operation of 257 local, mail and commuter trains, according to the reports.
A senior official of Bangladesh Railway said, “All local, mail and commuter trains of Bangladesh will remain suspended from today morning till further notice”.
The official who declined to be named said steps are also underway to suspend intercity trains shortly.
Authorities have also announced that the ferry service would be suspended from Tuesday.
Following the rise of COVID-19 cases in the country, the Bangladeshi government declared a public holiday from March 26 to April 4 except for entities providing essential services.
During a press briefing, Bangladeshi Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said, “Army would be deployed to assist local administration as all the government and the private offices in the country will be closed from March 26 to April 4”.
Earlier in the month, Qatar has placed a temporary ban on travellers from 14 countries including India, as a precaution against the rapidly spreading COVID-19 coronavirus disease.
Qatar Airways had already suspended flights to and from Italy.
This has been done to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the government announced.
The decisions were taken after Bangladesh health authorities on Monday reported another COVID-19 death, taking the country’s death toll to three, while te number of infections rose to 33.
The novel Coronavirus outbreak has caused alarm as it has crossed global fatalities in the 2002-03 SARS epidemic.