The spread and rising number of coronavirus cases have forced the local administration to put two districts and a number of areas across the country under lockdown to prevent further transmission.
Lockdown is an emergency measure that prohibits people from coming out of their homes with non-essential activities and traffic being shut.
Only emergency services, pharmacies, and essential services operate during this period. The central bank on Thursday said bank branches in areas under lockdown will remain closed.
The drastic move helps to curb the spread of the virus as evident from various countries around the world, particularly China where coronavirus was first reported in December last year.
Bangladesh on Friday extended the general holidays until April 25. The country has shut down public transport and restricted movement of people, asking them to stay home.
In Gaibandha, the district administration imposed an indefinite lockdown.
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Matin said it will be effective in all seven upazilas of the district from 5pm and will continue until further notification.
In Cumilla, the district administration put the district under lockdown.
Deputy Commissioner Md Abul Fazal Meer issued a mass notification in this regard.
Peoples’ entry to and exit from the district has been restricted until further notice, it said.
Nobody can enter and go out of the district by regional roads and highway and waterways, the DC said adding that movement of all kinds of vehicles and mass gathering have been banned.
However, Dhaka-Chattogram highway and national highway, other inter district connecting roads will be out of this restriction.
Earlier, the local administration put Biramkadi village in Titas upazila under lockdown as a resident of the village tested positive for coronavirus.
Meanwhile in Chuadanga, the local administration has imposed restriction on movement of people and vehicles from the morning.
Deputy Commissioner Nazrul Islam Sarwar told UNB that they have taken this decision to keep the district free from coronavirus and the restriction will continue until further notification.
Anyone defying the directions will face legal action, he added.
A press note in this regard said that all emergency vehicles carrying medicine, patients, agricultural products, and daily necessary products will be out of this restriction.
In Jhalakathi, the local administration closed all entrances to the district from Friday morning.
Fatiha Yasmin, superintendent of police, said they put bamboo fences at key areas to restrict vehicle movement.
Only emergency vehicles and ambulances can pass the fences, she said adding that check posts have been put up across the district.
In Brahmanbaria, police have been working to restrict the movement of people.
Check posts have been put up at Ashuganj to restrict entry from Dhaka, Narayanganj, and Narsingdi.
Md Shah Alam, inspector of Brahmanbaria Police Lines, said they are sending back all vehicles from the check posts.
M Jabed Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Ashuganj Police Station, said they are not allowing any vehicle to enter the district except emergency ones.
In Jashore, many areas went into voluntary lockdown.
Villagers in different upazilas put bamboo fences at all entry points of their localities.
In Nilphamari, about 20 houses were put under lockdown as a young man tested positive for coronavirus at Khalisha Bakshibari in Syedpur upazila.
Ranjit Kumar Barban, Civil Surgeon of Nilphamari, said the man, aged about 38, returned home from Narayanganj on April 5 with fever.
Apart from these, many areas and houses across the country have been put under lockdown where coronavirus patients were detected.
Bangladesh on Friday reported 94 new cases and six more deaths from coronavirus. The country has so far confirmed 424 cases and 27 deaths.
