A government notice has been issued declaring a public holiday on April 3, following Eid, with a general holiday announced through an executive order on Sunday.
The Ministry of Public Administration issued this notice on Sunday.
Earlier, on Thursday, the proposal regarding the holiday on April 3 was approved during a meeting of the Advisory Council.
As a result, government employees will enjoy a continuous 9-day holiday from Friday to April 5 this Eid.
The notice states that, under the Allocation of Business among the Different Ministries and Divisions, specifically Clause 37, the government has declared April 3 as a public holiday due to the upcoming Eid ul-Fitr.
All government, semi-government, autonomous, semi-autonomous and private offices will remain closed during this period.
Additionally, essential services such as electricity, water, gas, other fuels, fire services, port operations, sanitation, telecommunications, internet, postal services, and related service vehicles and workers will be excluded from this holiday.
The notice further specifies that hospital and emergency services, along with their staff and vehicles and personnel transporting medical supplies, will remain operational during the holiday.
Offices involved in emergency services will also be excluded from the holiday period.
The Bangladesh Bank will issue necessary instructions regarding banking operations and the Supreme Court will provide directives concerning court proceedings, as per the notice.
This year, the government has already declared a five-day holiday for Eid, including Independence Day, Shab-e-Qadr and weekly holidays, before and after the Eid celebrations.
Notably, Eid ul-Fitr is expected to fall on March 31, depending on the moon sighting.
Based on this possibility, the Ministry of Public Administration has preemptively set the holiday dates, with Eid leave beginning on Saturday.
However, the holiday effectively starts on March Friday, as it coincides with both the weekly holiday and Shab-e-Qadr.
According to prior announcements, government offices were supposed to reopen on April 3.
However, with the executive order declaring this day as a holiday, government employees will enjoy a continuous 9-day break from Saturday to April 5.
Additionally, there is a holiday on Wednesday for Independence and National Day and offices will reopen on Thursday providing a greater break for those who manage to take leave on March 27.
For those who do, they will have a continuous 11-day holiday.
The Ministry of Public Administration has said that offices operating under their own laws (such as Bangladesh Bank) or those engaged in essential services, as declared by the government, will follow their regulations when announcing this holiday based on public interest.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has requested factory owners to grant leave to workers a few days before Eid, if possible.
