Flight suspension and public transport ban extended till May 30 in Bangladesh

In the midst of the continued rise in Corona infection and deaths in Bangladesh, the government on Thursday announced the extension of suspension of domestic and international flight services and public transport till May 30.

Announcing the sixth extension of the suspension of flight services, the Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said on Thursday that CAAB has been continuing with its efforts to open the flights whenever the situation permits. The suspension covers all European countries and those countries which have banned flights from Bangladesh.

The first suspension was announced on some airlines on March 16. Currently only flight to China from Bangladesh continue to operate.

The government also announced that public transport services using road, water, railways and sea port will remain suspended till May 30. While announcing the extension of the general holiday till May 30, the gazette notification issued by the Cabinet division of the government on Thursday banned all inter-district transport services in the country in view of the Corona pandemic.

Only emergency services or vehicles carrying essential goods are exempted from the travel ban.

Anticipating increase in public gathering and congregation in view of the forthcoming Eid festival, the government has urged all to avoid holding large Eid-ut-Fitr congregations in open spaces.

Continuing with the relief measures, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday launched the Tk 2,500 one time cash assistance for 50 lakh poor families hit by the impact of Corona virus on the economy. She also announced a special package of Taka 2000 crore for four specialized banks involved in programmes related to employment generation in the country.

In the meanwhile, Bangladesh continued to have increasing number of Corona infections and deaths in the country. According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 14 people died and 1041 fresh Corona positive cases were reported in the country in the last 24 hours since Wednesday. With this the death toll in Bangladesh due to Corona has gone up to 283 while infections have increased to 18,863 since the first Corona positive person was detected in the country. 214 patients recovered in the last 24 hours taking the number of total recoveries to 3361.