COVID-19: Bangladesh to shut offices, transportation for 8 days amid surge in cases

Bangladesh on Monday announced an eight-day total shut down of the workplaces and the public transportation facilities as the government contemplated imposing a complete lockdown from April 14. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) on April 11 also suspended international air travel for at least one week effective April 14 amid the rising cases of COVID-19. Bangladesh’s rolled out the advisory as it registered 78 more deaths in 24 hours. The government’s designated bed in the ICUs went “full” as hospitals operated on full capacity pushing the healthcare system on brink of collapse. The south Asian country has thus far recorded 684,756 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, the caseload, however, increased sevenfold within a span of one month, a government statement read. 

All government, semi-government, autonomous, and private office and financial institutions will be closed,” Bangladesh’s cabinet said in a statement. It further ordered the suspension of all International and domestic flights along with maritime, rail and bus services within the country. Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) on Sunday issued a statement saying that it was mandatory to suspend all international passengers' flights owing to the COVID-19 surge. The order was relaxed for Humanitarian and Relief, Cargo, Technical Landing for refuelling. All domestic flights were grounded effective April 14 until April 20. The passengers were asked to quarantine mandatorily for at least 14 days. 

Hospitals overwhelmed

All shops at the previously bustling markets exempt those that sell food — were ordered to be shut immediately. Factories and essential businesses were allowed to remain open with personalized transport facilities for the workers. “There is no alternative now to this in order to curb the Covid-19 surge,” Farhad Hossain, junior minister for public administration, said in a statement. Bangladesh began clampdown earlier last month as it detected an unprecedented surge of cover’s new wave. "Other than the emergency services, all government, and private office, and industrial units will have to be run with 50 percent workforce in view of the situation," read an order issued by the Prime Minister's Office. The hospitals across several states were overwhelmed due to the onslaught of new patients.