The Bangladesh government has decided not to extend the ongoing shutdown over the coronavirus pandemic, allowing offices to reopen on May 31, according to the media report.
Offices and other workplaces will be allowed to operate on a limited scale until June 15, subject to their compliance with several health and hygiene directives, bdnews24 quoted State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain as saying on Wednesday.
“The lockdown won’t be extended. Economic activities will resume on a limited scale. At the same time, people must follow all the health directives to ensure their safety,” he further added,
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved the decisions and an official order will be issued on Thursday, Hossain said.
“We are not opening everything, but on a limited scale,” he added.
Addressing to the nation on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr three days ago, PM Hasina did not give any clue about reopening.
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 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.
However, the public transport system and educational institutions will remain closed as the government has not made a decision about them.
Bangladesh has reported 38,292 cases and 544 deaths in recent weeks.
Meanwhile,the total confirmed cases of Coronavirus infection on Thursday surged to over 56.95 lakh globally, while the fatalities due to the deadly virus, which originated in China’s Wuhan city, have increased to more than 3.55 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University.