Govt extends lockdown by a week to Jul 14

Bangladesh government has extended the current stringent lockdown by a week to Jul 14 at the advice of experts to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

All current restrictions have been extended in consideration of the current state of the pandemic, the Cabinet Division said in a notice on Monday.

The National Technical Advisory Committee on COVID-19 recommended a week-long extension to restrictions on Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.

The government had imposed the lockdown on Jul 1 amid a dramatic surge in COVID cases and deaths amidst a second wave of the pandemic in Bangladesh.

Despite four days of lockdown, Bangladesh has seen record numbers of cases and deaths, leading to the recommendation from the committee.

The panel had previously recommended a 14-day lockdown on Jun 24, committee chief Dr Mohammad Shahidullah said on Sunday.

At least 14 days of lockdown were necessary to properly curb the spread of the disease, he said.