Dhaka

The Bangladesh government has decided to impose a nationwide all-out lockdown from July 1 instead of June 28 (Monday).

SK Rafiqul Islam, Additional Secretary of District and Field Admin Wing of the Cabinet Division, told The Daily Star that the decision was taken to enforce the lockdown from July 1. However, lockdown will remain in effect on a "limited scale" from Monday to Wednesday. The decision came from a high-level meeting on Saturday presided over by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, reported Dhaka Tribune.

"An all-out lockdown for seven days will be imposed from July 1," said Principal Information Officer Surath Kumar Sarker of Bangladesh's Press Information Department (PID).

A stricter set of restrictions on public movement and gathering were extended several times, including the latest one, Dhaka Tribune reported.

Additionally, the authorities across the country had been imposing district-wise restrictions on public movement in areas with higher COVID-19 infections till now.

State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain told the media last week that a strict lockdown would be imposed from June 28, depending on the COVID-19 situation in the country.

The government's lockdown plans came after the national COVID-19 advisory panel on Thursday recommended imposing a complete shutdown for two weeks, reported Dhaka Tribune.

Under the guidelines, public transport in Bangladesh will remain suspended whereas factories, especially export-oriented ones, are likely to be exempted from the restrictions, according to people who attended the meeting. The banks were also likely to operate on a limited scale.

No one will be allowed to leave home without emergency reasons, he said, adding that the army would be called in to assist the police and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) troopers to enforce the 'strict lockdown'.

Furthermore, all government and private offices will remain closed during the lockdown. All kinds of transports, except for those carrying emergency supplies, will remain suspended during the lockdown. However, ambulances and vehicles used for healthcare services and media would be exempted from the curbs.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 death toll from coronavirus in Bangladesh crossed 14,000 on Saturday, with the health authorities reporting 77 new fatalities. It took only 15 days for the toll to rise by 1,000, Dhaka Tribune reported.

The total caseload reached 883,138 as 4,334 new infections were reported.