Bangladesh extends lockdown till April 28 amid COVID-19 spike

Bangladesh has extended the ongoing nationwide lockdown by another week till April 28 in view of the current surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country.

Bangladesh has extended the ongoing nationwide lockdown by another week till April 28 in view of the current surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country. The strict restrictions on public movement and gathering imposed last week will remain in force during the extended period, Dhaka Tribune reported citing a gazette notification issued on Tuesday.

The move to extend the ongoing lockdown comes a day after an inter-ministerial meeting on the issue. On Sunday, the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on COVID-19 had recommended extending the lockdown for at least two weeks in light of the resurgence in infections and deaths since March.

On April 14, the Bangladesh government enforced a fresh lockdown with harsher measures. The ongoing lockdown was imposed after a 'loose' nationwide lockdown for one week as part of its move to contain the spike in both coronavirus infections and fatalities. The announcement of the extension of the lockdown comes on the day Bangladesh has logged another 91 deaths and 4,559 new infections.

With the latest development, the death toll in the country mounted to 10,588 and the total number of infections stands at 727,780. Under the lockdown, all kinds of public gatherings (social, political, religious and others) have been restricted. Public assembly is prohibited in high-infection areas. Public gatherings on the occasion of any social event, including wedding and birthday parties, have been discouraged. (ANI)