Bangladesh reported its 30th death due to coronavirus infection, as three more people died in the last 24 hours till yesterday afternoon.
58 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the same time frame, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque in an online press briefing, yesterday.
The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country now stands at 482.
Joining the briefing by videoconference, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) Director Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora said 954 samples were tested in 17 centres across the country in a 24 hour span.
Of the deceased, one was a resident of Dhaka, she said, adding that the three deceased were 38, 55, and 74 years old.
Over the period, three more people—two men and a woman—recovered from the infection, bringing the number of recovered patients to 36. Currently, 416 Covid-19 patients are undergoing treatment.
Source: Worldometer
The health minister said three more facilities will start testing suspected Covid-19 samples soon in addition to the 17 centres currently testing samples collected from across the country.
The director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, Abul Kalam Azad, during the briefing, said samples will also be collected from community clinics across the country.
31-40 age group, men most vulnerable
Of the newly infected patients, 17 belong to the 31-40 age group and 15 are between 41 to 50 years of age.
Patients between 31 and 40 make up 22% of the 482 infected, while each of the 21-30 and 41-50 age groups make up 19% of the total, said Meerjady.
The IEDCR director said 48 of the newly confirmed patients are men, adding that men account for at least 70% of the total infected in the country.
Dhaka remains in danger
The capital city again topped the list of regions with the highest Covid-19 affected areas, according to the latest estimate.
Source: Worldometer
Of the new patients, 14 are from Dhaka and eight others are from Narayanganj.
“Coronavirus has spread fast in the capital’s Bashabo and Mirpur, as well as in Narayanganj,” the health minister said.
On Friday, patients from Dhaka city accounted for more than one-third (37) of the single-day cases.
During the briefing, the IEDCR Director said 52% of the total 482 cases were detected in the metropolitan city alone.
Excluding the city, other districts in Dhaka division registered 25% of the cases, while the rest of the country shared the remaining percentage points of the total amount.
Superstores, kitchen markets to close by 5pm
Police in Dhaka have ordered all kitchen markets and superstores to close their businesses by 5pm every day.
However, pharmacies and emergency services are exempted from the order, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Deputy Commissioner (Media) Masudur Rahman.
Source: Worldometer
“The kitchen markets and superstores will remain open from 6am to 5pm. Grocery shops and departmental stores can stay open from 6am to 2pm,” he said.
Public transport suspension extended till April 25
The government has decided to extend the suspension of all public transport services until April 25.
The Road Transport and Highways Division, in a press release issued yesterday, said additional passengers will also not be allowed to commute on trucks or other goods-laden vehicles during this period.
However, trucks and covered vans carrying food, medicine, emergency services, fuel, and perishable goods are exempted from this restriction.
Transport for relief goods, and the mass media, are also outside the purview of this ban.
Train service across the country will also remain suspended until further notice, said Railways Ministry Secretary Mofazzel Hossain.
However, special train service will be operated if necessary, according to the ministry.
Passenger flight to 16 countries suspended till April 30
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) yesterday extended the suspension of passenger flights to 16 countries till April 30.
Source: Worldometer
The 16 countries are: Bahrain, Bhutan, Hong Kong, India, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Domestic flights are not allowed to carry passengers during this time either.
However, cargo, relief-laden flights, air ambulances, emergency and special flights, are exempt from this ban.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines suspended all of its international and domestic flights until April 30 as well.
Deaths of people with Covid-19 symptoms
At least 12 people showing Covid-19 symptoms died in 10 districts across the country on Friday night and yesterday.
The districts are Manikganj, Gazipur, Khulna, Narayanganj, Lakshmipur, Faridpur, Bhola, Madaripur, Kushtia, and Brahmanbaria.
To contain the spread of the virus, Sylhet, Rajbari Brahmanbaria, Munshiganj, and Habiganj districts have now gone into lockdown following announcements from the respective deputy commissioners.
