ZCZC
BSS-16
SHUTDOWN-EXTENTION
Govt extends countrywide shutdown until April 25
DHAKA, April 10, 2020 (BSS) – The government today extended the nationwide holiday for 11 more days to intensify the anti-COVID-19 campaign as the virus continued to claim more lives and infect people in increased number in the country as elsewhere.
“The countrywide holiday will now continue until April 25,” a Prime Minister’s Office spokesman said while the ongoing shutdown was set to end on April 14.
A Public Administration Ministry notification immediately followed his comments explaining that the extended shutdown would count the weekends as well, in continuation of the previous general and weekly holidays.
It said April 17-18 and April 24-25 weekends would be added to the holidays.
The notification simultaneously reminded all the extra-ordinary nature of the holidays unlike the usual general holidays and asked all including government employees to obey strictly five specific directives to prevent spread of the deadly virus.
Following are the instructions:
1. The people must stay at home to prevent the infection of the Covid-19.
2. All have been requested not to go out of the homes except very urgent need.
3. None can go out of the home after 6 pm and legal action will be taken against those who will violate the order.
4. The movement (of the people) from one area to other one has been restricted strictly.
5. All officials and employees working at divisional, district, upazila and union levels will have to stay at their respective workplaces to perform their duty.
The notification, however, spared emergency services like electricity, water, gas, fire service, cleanliness activities, telephone and internet services from the purview of the instructions.
It also said the transportation of agriculture products, fertilisers, pesticides, energy, newspapers, foods, industrial products, medical equipment, emergency and essential goods as well as kitchen market, food and medicine shops and hospitals will remain out of the purview of the holidays.
The notification said the offices could be kept open and the production of export-oriented industries could continue for urgent requirement and added that Bangladesh Bank would give necessary directives for limited-scale banking operations during the holidays considering peoples necessity.
“The movement of different modes of public transports like train and bus services and the rickshaw and vans would be allowed in phases in the interest of the living and livelihood of the people if the prevailing situation improves,” the notification said.
On March 23, the government first declared a 10-day countrywide holiday from March 26 to April 4, ordering shutdown of all government and private offices alongside businesses including transport services of all modes and called out armed forces “in aid of civil power” to enforce the shutdown alongside police and other law enforcement agencies.
The nationwide holiday was extended twice under two subsequent orders calling on people to stay indoors to contain the deadly virus’s spread.
BSS/SH/AR/1717hrs