All shops in Chittagong, including kitchen markets and grocery stores, have been instructed by the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) to remain closed for 11 hours from Monday evening, to curb the spread of coronavirus in the port city.
The closure will begin at 7pm on Monday and will end at 6am the next day, continuing every day until further notice, said police sources.
Necessary legal action will be taken against those who defy the directives, confirmed Abu Bakar Siddique, additional deputy commissioner (Public Relations) of CMP.
The order will remain effective until further notice. However, the pharmacies and drugstores will remain out of the purview of the order, said the official.
CMP Commissioner Mahabubur Rahman said that legal steps will be taken against the violators of the order.
The move came amid the novel coronavirus pandemic with fears of community transmission coming true in clusters in different areas of the country.
On Monday, the health authorities confirmed 35 new cases of Covid-19, the disease caused by a new coronavirus strain, in Bangladesh, taking the tally of positive cases to 123.
It was the highest number of cases recorded on a single day since the first three were reported on March 8.
The authorities on Monday also confirmed that three more Covid-19 patients also died in the last 24 hours, which means the death toll now stands at 12.
Meanwhile, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has also urged traders to close the kitchen markets of the port city by 6pm.
After issuing a media release on Sunday, the CCCI President Mahbubul Alam said that people should follow the health advisories and keep a safe distance while going to the kitchen markets.
“At the same time, the transport service operators should wear masks all the time while shipping and loading-unloading goods,” the CCCI President said.