The government on Friday banned public movement outside their residences after 6:00pm across the country and extended the ongoing general holiday in its efforts against the spread of COVID-19 as the number of patients is soaring daily.
The emergency services, including electricity, water, gas, fire service, medical services, supply of essentials and mass media and newspapers, would, however, remain outside the purview of the order, according to a gazette notification issued by the public administration ministry.
‘No one shall be allowed to move outside after 6:00pm. Legal actions will be taken if anyone violates the instruction,’ state minister for public administration Farhad Hossain told New Age, adding that the ongoing general holiday, which began on March 26, had now been extended till April 25 considering the COVID-19 situation.
Referring to the fresh instructions, he said that the emergency services would remain outside the order.
According to the order, all must stay at home to fight the coronavirus infections, all are requested not to go outside without emergency, no one shall go out of residence after 6:00pm and legal action will be taken in case of its violation, the movement from one area to another is strictly limited and all officials at the division, district, upazila and union levels shall stay at their work stations to perform their respective responsibilities.
The public administration ministry in a gazette notification asked the country’s people to strictly maintain the instructions.
Asked for an explanation of the order, public administration secretary Shaikh Yusuf Harun said that one had to complete all essential work before 6:00pm as none would be allowed to go outside after that time.
The Bangladesh Bank will issue necessary instructions to continue the banking system on a limited scale for the public during the holiday, said the order signed by the ministry’s deputy secretary Kazi Mohammad Saiful Islam.
On March 23, the government announced public holiday from March 26 to April 4 to prevent the transmission of coronavirus and then extended the holiday till April 9. Later, April 12 and 14 were also announced holidays along with the public holiday of April 14, the first day of Bengali New Year.
The authorities also banned all modes of public transports and deployed military forces to ensure social distancing across the country to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus that killed at least 27 people and infected 424 till Friday.
The public administration ministry in the order, however, said that the restrictions on the transports, including rickshaw-vans, trains and buses, would be relaxed in phases for the sake of the livelihood of the people concerned if the prevailing situation improves.
The Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday issued a directive, saying that some emergency services and the supply chain, including of the essential commodities, would remain out of the purview of the nationwide shutdown aimed at containing the coronavirus menace.
