Offices under all ministries can operate on a limited scale for emergency purposes during the general holidays declared to stem the spread of the coronavirus, says the government.
On April 23, the public administration ministry issued an order to reopen offices at division, district and upazila levels under 18 ministries and divisions.
However, it said on Sunday that offices under all ministries and divisions can operate to execute the government orders amid the shutdown.
“All offices can remain open on a limited scale for emergency purposes, like executing the government orders,” Public Administration Secretary Sheikh Yusuf Harun told the Dhaka Tribune.
The ministries, ordered to resume operations in the previous order, were Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Food, Ministry of Public Administration, Health Service division, Medical Education and Family Welfare Division, Public Security Division, Security Service Division, Ministry of Information, Local Government Division, Rural Development and Co-operatives Division, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Shipping Ministry, Social Welfare Ministry, Women and Children Affairs Ministry, and Fisheries and Livestock Ministry.
The Prime Minister’s Office and the Cabinet Division also came under the purview of the decision.
A senior official of the public administration ministry said the previous order was issued “mistakenly due to a coordination gap” among officials.
“It was nothing but a communication gap as most of the officials are working from home,” said the official, asking not to be named.
Bangladesh has been under lockdown from March 26 and the period of closure has been extended several times since — most recently until May 5 — as the number of coronavirus cases and deaths continued to surge.