Bangladesh imposes new restrictions on public movement

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh has introduced new restrictions on public movement during the coronavirus lockdown that has been extended till May 16.

“Inter-district and sub-district people’s movements will be strictly restricted and local administration will ensure the restrictions,” said a notification by the Bangladesh Cabinet on Monday.

It asked people to stay at home, except for emergency medicine, treatment, and funeral, etc. People otherwise are not allowed to go out from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Inter-district public transport services will be closed during the lockdown, while the mass exodus of people to their home towns to spend the festival of Eid-al-Fitr has been prohibited.

Millions of Bangladeshis usually leave big cities and return to their home towns at the end of Ramadan to celebrate Eid with their families.

Meanwhile, citing public need due to the upcoming festival, shops and malls have been allowed to remain open till 5 p.m. in a limited scale, strictly maintaining social distance and COVID-19 health guidelines.

“At every entrance of all shopping malls there must be an arrangement of cleaning hands with antiseptic soaps and hand sanitizers,” the circular said.

Referring to the country's economic conditions, it added that readymade garments, pharmaceutical and export-oriented industries may be kept open ensuring health facilities, social distancing and following health guidelines.

The South Asian nation has so far confirmed 10,143 infections, with 688 new cases. The death toll increased by five to 182.

Among the newly-infected are chief of the state-run Bangladesh Television, SM Haroon-or-Rashid, and his wife.

Dozens of other staffers of private television channels have also been sent to home quarantine following reports that their colleagues in the field have contracted the virus.

Some 147 patients have recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, raising the total recovery tally to 1,209 to date, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.