Bangladesh to go into weeklong strict lockdown from 1 July
Lockdown will remain in effect on a "limited scale" from Monday to Wednesday
Bangladesh will go into a seven-day strict lockdown from 1 July to curb the transmission of dreaded Covid-19.
However, lockdown will remain in effect on a "limited scale" from Monday to Wednesday. Banks and other financial institutions will be open during the time.
"The decision was taken in a high-level meeting with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in the chair on Saturday evening," Surath Kumar Sarker, principal information officer of the Information Department, confirmed the news to The Business Standard.
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Meeting sources said, the lockdown was delayed due to June closing of the banks and financial institutions.
Other restrictions, to be imposed during the strict lockdown, will be disclosed on Sunday.
Leaders of the garment owners' associations have said that the factories will remain open under special arrangements even if a strict lockdown begins across the country.
Bangladesh EPZ Investor's Association (BEPZIA) has also urged the government to keep the export processing zones out of the purview of the nationwide lockdown.
Besides, the authorities have decided to keep all the customs houses and customs stations open during the upcoming lockdown, in an effort to facilitate uninterrupted export-import activities through land, air and seaports.
Earlier, the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 recommended a 14-day strict shutdown be imposed across the country considering the worsening Covid-19 situation.
