B'desh suspends public transport to rein in pandemic

Dhaka, June 28 (IANS) Bangladesh on Sunday decided to suspend public transport across the country from Monday in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus.The country's Cabinet Division made the announcement in a gazette notification, saying all kinds of transports, except for rickshaws and vehicles carrying emergency goods, would be suspended from 6:00 a.m. local time Monday to 6:00 a.m. local time on Thursday.Also, the notice said, shops and shopping malls, resorts and community centres will also be closed during this period, the Xinhua news agency reported.Both the public and private offices have been asked to operate with a skeleton staff while ensuring transportation for them.Bangladesh on Friday night announced imposition of strict lockdown from Monday but later deferred it to Thursday.The latest decision was announced after the health authorities reported the country's highest daily deaths from Covid-19 on Sunday since the local outbreak of the pandemic in March last year.The Directorate General of Health Services reported 119 new fatalities and 5,268 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, taking the overall tally to 888,406 with 14,172 deaths.
--IANS int/rs