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Enamul Hafiz Latifee reports,
The Bangladesh Government has extended the ongoing closure of all public and private offices up to 05 May 2020 aiming to check the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.
The Public Administration Ministry issued a circular in this regard today, 23 April 2020. This is the fourth time the government extended the vacation after it first announced the closure of all the public and private offices from 26 March to 04 April.
According to the circular, the days from 26 to 30 April and from 03 to 05 May have been announced as general holidays, while the weekend 01 and 02 May would be added to the holidays.
Followings are said in the circular:
- Utility services like water, electricity, gas, fire service, telephone, and the internet will remain open during the shutdown. Other emergency services will also remain out of the purview of the closure, the circular said.
- The movement of all goods-carrying vehicles on roads and water vessels on the river route will continue.
- Besides, the circular said, transportation of agricultural products, fertilizers, insecticides, foods, other goods, medical equipment, newspaper, daily essentials and kitchen markets, restaurants, drug stores, and hospitals would also remain out of the purview of the shutdown.
- The offices can be opened for urgent necessities.
- Pharmaceuticals and export-oriented mills and factories will remain open, if necessary.
The first announcement of the holiday came on 23 March. Later, the government on 01 April extended the leave from 05 to 11 April as the COVID-19 situation did not improve.
On 05 April, it extended the holidays from 12 to 14 April and later till 25 April.
The circular has come into effect when the death toll from the deadly coronavirus rises to 127 and the number of total infected person stands at 4,186 in the country as of Thursday.