UNB, Natore :
The Uttara Ganabhaban, a popular tourist attraction in Natore, has been reopened after eight months.
It will remain open from 10am to 5pm. Deputy Commissioner Md Shahriaz opened the main gate on Monday noon.
The coronavirus outbreak forced the authorities concerned to shut the tourist attraction. “Hundreds of people came here everyday but they were not allowed to enter. Many of them requested us to reopen it,” he said.
At the start of the coronavirus outbreak in Bangladesh, the government announced a months-long general holiday and shut offices and business to prevent the spread of the virus.
Uttara Ganabhaban, known as the Dighapatia Rajbari, shut its door to visitors on March 19 amid the coronavirus outbreak.
But the country is bracing for a possible second wave of coronavirus and the Prime Minister has requested everyone to properly follow health guidelines all the while assuring them that the government would procure a vaccine as soon as it is available.
Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said Monday that late-stage trials showed its coronavirus vaccine was up to 90 percent effective.
Bangladesh has signed a deal for 30 million doses of the vaccine once it is ready.
Meanwhile, the government has adopted a ‘no mask, no service’ policy and plans to go for tougher punishment to force people to wear masks to stop the resurgence of Covid-19.
Deputy Commissioner Shahriaz said no-one would be allowed to enter Ganabhaban without wearing masks.
“Other health guidelines must also be followed and no more than 10 people will be permitted to enter at once,” he said.
