The government is mulling to relax lockdown before Eid-ul-Fitr taking into consideration the people’s lives and livelihoods, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said Monday.
He urged all to have patience and remain mentally prepared as the lockdown may be relaxed for the movement of homebound people during the Eid festival, which is scheduled to be celebrated in mid-May.
According to the advice of experts, the government is also planning to extend the ongoing lockdown by one more week, he said while addressing a regular briefing at his house in the capital.
The government has also decided to provide financial aid to the unemployed transport workers, Quader, also Awami League general secretary, said. He requested party leaders and members to distribute relief goods among the floating people.
State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossian said that the lockdown would remain in force from April 22 to 28 with the same restrictions imposed in the previous week. “It’ll be a tougher one,” he said.
A gazette will be issued after getting the Prime Minister’s approval, he said.
The ongoing lockdown will end on April 21.
As coronavirus cases continue to rise alarmingly from late March, the government imposed a nationwide lockdown for one week from April 5 as part of its move to contain its spread.
But the government allowed the resumption of public transport in city corporation areas from April 7 as well as reopening shops and shopping malls for five days from April 9 in the face of protests against the lockdown.
A stricter lockdown was declared from April 14 to 21 and the Cabinet division issued a notification in this regard.
Worsening Covid situation
Bangladesh saw its daily deaths from coronavirus shatter the local record yet again with 102 fatalities on Sunday morning.
It was the third consecutive day that the country registered more than 100 deaths in 24 hours.
The latest fatalities pushed up the death tally to 10,385 with a mortality rate of 1.44 percent, according to a handout from the Directorate General of Health Services.
The country has so far confirmed 718,950 cases. But 614,936 people – 85.53 percent of all patients – have recovered so far.
