Bangladesh
Hard Lockdown Lockdown extended till August 10
Dhaka, August 3: The government has decided to extend the lockdown till August 10 to prevent coronavirus infection. The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting on Tuesday (August 3). After the meeting, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque told reporters.
Earlier, the meeting was presided over by AKM Mozammel Haque at 11:15 am in the cabinet meeting room. Health Minister Zahid Maleque and Cabinet Secretary Anwarul Islam were present on the occasion. In addition, ministers and state ministers were involved virtually.
"The lockdown has been extended till the 10th. The condition is that everyone must be vaccinated. Offices, courts will open from 11th. We will notice the implementation these few days. We will look at it as a test case for two or four days. If necessary, the decision will be taken on an urgent basis," the Liberation War Affairs Minister said.
He said, "It is also the responsibility to keep the economy afloat. That is why some factories have been opened. Not every vehicle will be allowed run, rotation will be imposed. If there are 100 cars, the labor leaders will decide, a small number will run. The car will run in a limited scale. If there are 10 trains, only five will run."
The government has been trying to control the coronavirus infection situation in the country for months by imposing restrictions in phases. Restrictions were relaxed for eight days ahead of Eid al-Adha. Then again it was imposed for 14 days from 6 am on July 23. The lockdown will end at midnight on August 5.
All types of public transport, government and private offices are closed due to restrictions. All types of industries are closed except for food production-processing, leather transport-preservation and pharmaceutical sectors. However, the export-oriented factories have been opened since August 1. Shops and shopping malls are closed. It is also forbidden for people to go out without urgent need.
The coronavirus infection situation has not come under control. On the contrary, the situation is deteriorating day by day. Every day, around 250 people are dying due to Covid-19, while 15,000 (approximately) are getting infected. In this situation, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has recommended extending the lockdown for another 10 days, after August 5.
