Bangladesh set for restricted reopening despite surge in COVID-19 fatalities


PTI | Dhaka | Updated: 30-05-2020 20:20 IST | Created: 30-05-2020 20:20 IST
Bangladesh set for restricted reopening despite surge in COVID-19 fatalities
  • Country:
  • Bangladesh

Bangladesh is set to reopen offices and transport services on Sunday in a restricted manner despite fears of the intensified coronavirus onslaughts as the country recorded 28 more COVID-19 deaths, the highest number of fatalities in a single day. Bangladesh first declared a nation-wide holiday from March 26 to April 4 while the country confirmed the first coronavirus death on March 18, ten days after the detection of the first three COVID-19 cases.

Since its enforcement on March 26, coinciding with the Independence Day anniversary, the shutdown was extended in six phases until May 30. Under an official order, the government and private offices are to cautiously reopen on Sunday alongside the resumption of transport services in a controlled manner from May 31.

"All government/semi-government, autonomous and private offices will remain open in a limited scale under their own management (from May 31)," reads the cabinet division order. But the order exempted "vulnerable people, sick employees and pregnant women" from attending offices and directed that all meetings would be held through virtual media, debarring physical presence of people in such conferences unless the situation demanded so in extraordinary cases.

The government also allowed "restricted reopening" of public transport services like passenger buses, trains and ferries with "limited number of passengers" who must wear masks while operators were asked to strictly follow the health directives against COVID-19. But people's movement from one district to another will be controlled strictly and monitored through security check posts at the entrance and exit points of the each of the country's 64 districts. The order came nearly a week after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the reopening appeared inevitable to keep operative Bangladesh's economic activities despite the pandemic. Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), meanwhile, said 28 died due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the country's toll to 610.

"The tally of infections has also surged to 44,608 as 1,764 new COVID-19 cases were detected during the last 24 hours," DGHS Additional Director General Professor Dr Nasima Sultana told a virtual media briefing..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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