The government is set to extend the current lockdown by another week taking into account the current pandemic situation.

The ongoing coronavirus restrictions will expire tomorrow (Sunday).

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved the extension of the coronavirus restrictions. A notification in this regard will be issued tomorrow, according to a senior official at the Ministry of Public Administration.

State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain told the Business Insider Bangladesh, “It is necessary to extend the virus curbs to prevent the spread of infection. We have sent a proposal for a one week extension to the Prime Minister for approval. You will know it tomorrow.”

“As part of precaution, the ongoing lockdown would be extended by another week considering the situation in India,” said an official.

Intra-district and intra-city buses will be allowed to operate, but long-haul inter-district buses, trains and launches will remain closed, and shops and stores will remain open until 8 pm, he added.

The government on Apr 14 imposed the ‘strictest lockdown’ in which people were barred from going outside, except for an emergency, to contain a spike in Covid cases.

The restrictions shut public and private offices and public transport services except those providing emergency services. But factories were allowed to remain open if they followed health regulations.

Shopping malls and stores were also initially shut down, but this restriction was later eased on Apr 25.