Staff Reporter :
The government has extended the office shutdown period to April 11 with a view to containing the spread of coronavirus in Bangladesh.
On Tuesday, the Public Administration Ministry took the decision to extend the shutdown, which was initially till April 4, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain told the media.
The shutdown will officially be till April 9 with it extending till April 11 due to the weekend, he said, adding that the official order will be issued soon.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the government-declared holiday to prevent transmission of COVID-19 might be extended till April 9.
“We’ve announced a 10-day holiday, but this might be extended for 14 days. We might extend it till April 9 with some relaxation for some sectors on limited basis,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this while holding a video conference with the officials of 64 districts to coordinate the ongoing activities to contain coronavirus from her official residence Ganobhaban.
She said that the essential services will remain open but educational institutions will remain closed while industries and mills can be opened.
But the movement of people from one place to another should be restricted, she added.
The government, on March 23, declared general holidays from March 26 to April 4. It announced holidays for five days from March 29 to April 2. March 26 was a public holiday on the occasion of Independence Day, while March 27 and 28, and April 3 and 4 are weekends that merged with the five-day holiday.
But kitchen markets, food shops, pharmacies, hospitals and all emergency services are out of the purview of the general holidays.
The Prime Minister said the holiday may be extended because many people went to their villages.
“We’ve to count the quarantine period in this connection so that there should not be any outbreak of COVID-19,” she said.
She also said that with the extension of holidays the communication system has to be opened on limited basis.
“We’ve to think before declaring those relaxed sectors from the purview of the holiday,” she said.
The Prime Minister said the government has taken steps to prevent the spreading of COVID-19 from the very beginning and for that reason there has not been many cases in the country.
“We’ve to look after the matter so that this COVID-19 could not break out in the country in future. We’ve to continue this (holidays) and take this (sufferings) for some days more,” she said.
In this connection, she said that the extension of holidays would be done to ensure that there would be no more death from COVID-19.
Bangladesh has so far confirmed five coronavirus deaths and 49 cases. “We’re taking this decision for the welfare of all,” she said.
