Bangladesh imposes total lockdown over COVID-19

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Bangladesh imposed a nationwide lockdown Tuesday to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the wake of four deaths and at least 39 infections.  

Authorities declared a ban on passenger travel via water, rail and on domestic air routes from March 24 while all public transport on roads will be suspended from March 26 to stem the spread of virus, officially known as COVID-19. 

“It was decided to lock down all public transport across the country from March 26 to April 4. Trucks, covered vans and vehicles carrying medicine, fuel and perishable items will stay out of your purview of the lockdown,” said Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader. 

He also warned people not to travel on any trucks or goods-laden vehicles. 

“We have postponed all launch services [amid the coronavirus pandemic],” Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Chairman Commodore Golam Sadeq confirmed to Anadolu Agency by phone. 

A large number of Bangladeshis prefer to visit daily by ferry and passenger boats, especially those in the country’s southern regions. 

The Bangladesh Railway Authority has also suspended all local, commuter and mail train services in the united states until further notice. 

The government also made a decision to suspend all domestic commercial flights from midnight Tuesday until further notice within efforts to encourage persons to remain home to contain the outbreak. 

In addition, the Department of Immigration and Passports on Monday suspended new enrollments for both electronic and machine readable passports until further notice and will be offering special arrangements for urgent cases. 

The closure of all educational institutions in the united states has been extended to April 9 from March 31 previously, the Ministry of Education said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s main exporting ready-made garment (RMG) sector is incurring an enormous shortfall. 

“Until today [March 24], orders of 649.30 million bits of RMG products from 738 garment factories worth $2.4 billion have been cancelled,” Rubana Huq, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), told Anadolu Agency by phone. 

So that you can ensure the supply chain and sustainable market prices, the federal government on Tuesday also cancelled all leaves and vacations for government officials beneath the Ministry of Commerce who are in charge of monitoring local markets. 

Meanwhile, China has decided to help Bangladesh by sending Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and test kits amid a shortage in the country. 

“The first batch of medical supplies, including 10 thousand test kits, 10 thousand [pieces of] PPE and one thousand infrared thermometers will get to Dhaka from Kunming on March 26,” the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of China in Bangladesh said in a social media post.
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