Bangladesh extends coronavirus lockdown for 1 week

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Bangladesh has decided to extend the ongoing lockdown for another week to counter the spike in COVID-19 infections, an official confirmed on Monday.

The country registered record 112 deaths and 4,271 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 723,221 infections including 10,497 fatalities, according to the Health Ministry.

Authorities first enforced a nine-day partial lockdown on April 5. It was extended and toughened on April 14 for a week, and will now remain in place until April 28.

"Rules, regulations and restrictions will remain the same,” Abdullah Shibli Sadiq, a spokesperson at the Public Administration Ministry, told Anadolu Agency. A notification in this regard will be issued soon, he added.

As part of the measures, transport, offices, and shops remain shut, and all international and domestic flights have been halted.

People have been asked to stay home and a movement pass is required to step out in case of an emergency such as getting tested or vaccinated for COVID-19, grocery shopping, or medicine purchase.

Emergency services and factories have been allowed to operate while maintaining strict health safety guidelines.

The South Asian nation of 164 million people last imposed a nationwide shutdown for more than two months in March 2020.

It started a mass COVID-19 vaccination drive with Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs developed by the Serum Institute of India in February, and has since administered at least 7.08 million doses.