The health authorities in Bangladesh reported 2, 916 new Covid-19 infections in the 24 hours to 8am on Wednesday, taking the total caseload to 1,601,305.
A total of 24,964 samples were tested across the country with a positivity rate of 11.68%, up from 8.97% the previous day.
Four deaths from the disease were logged during the same time taking the death toll to 28,111 since March 2020, according to figures released by the Directorate General of Health Services.
Meanwhile, a total number of 266 people recovered from the disease taking the total recoveries to 1,551,653.
Bangladesh on Wednesday also reported three fresh cases of the Omicron variant. With these, the total number of Omicron cases rises to 33.
Dhaka remains the hotspot of the virus, accounting for 2,434 of the new cases.
Meanwhile, Chittagong logged 266 cases, Khulna 60, Barisal 11, Rangpur 12, Mymensingh 26, Rajshahi 56 and Sylhet division saw 51 fresh cases.
The country reported the highest number of daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 this year, while the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 this year.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), if the daily-case positivity rate remains at 5% or below for 14 days it is considered to be safe for mass unlocking.
The daily case positivity rate in Bangladesh reached its peak 32.55% on July 24 last year.
New govt directives:
As the cases surged, the government issued 11 directives to be effective from Thursday.
They are:
1. People have to wear masks in all public places including shopping malls, markets, hotels, and restaurants, Otherwise, they have to face legal action.
2. Masks are mandatory at outdoors, including offices. The government will operate mobile courts to ensure compliance with health guidelines.
3. People must also show vaccine certificates for dining in restaurants and staying in hotels.
4. Students aged above 12 will not be allowed to attend in-person classes after 15 January unless they are vaccinated.
5. Screening facilities at land, sea and airports have to be increased. Crew members will not be allowed to leave ships while only drivers will be allowed to enter the country on trucks through the land ports.
6. Public transport, including buses, trains and launches will have to carry passengers at half capacity while inoculation is a must for transport drivers and helpers. The authorities concerned will issue separate guidelines in this regard.
7. Inbound passengers have to show vaccination certificates and take antigen tests upon arrival.
8. Imams will have to raise awareness about following the coronavirus health rules, such as physical distancing, during sermons of Friday prayers.
9. Health Ministry will ramp up activities to raise awareness about the booster shots of the vaccines with the help of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
10. All kinds of open-air gatherings, including social, political and religious events, will remain banned until further notice.
11. Local administration will take necessary steps if any special circumstances arise somewhere.
Bangladesh reported its first three cases of Covid-19, a severe acute respiratory illness caused by a strain of coronavirus later named Sars-CoV-2, on March 8, 2020. The first death was reported 10 days later.
A large number of the population has also been vaccinated with the country crossing the landmark of administering 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines on December 1, nearly 10 months after kicking off a nationwide campaign.
The country officially began the dispensation of booster doses of a Covid-19 vaccine on a limited scale from December 26.
The fast-spreading coronavirus has so far claimed over 5.5 million lives and infected over 311 million people throughout the world, according to Worldometer.
More than 260 million people have recovered from the disease, which has affected 223 countries and territories across the planet.