Dhaka – Authorities in Bangladesh on Thursday banned all rallies, gatherings and pilgrimages to prevent the spread of the Covid-19.
“We were asked to enforce the restrictions strictly as the crowds may be the potential source of infections,” said Wahidual Islam, Chief Administrator of Southern Madaripur District of the ecision by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The decision came following media reports that a group of Islamists organised a mass prayer session in the southern district of Laxmipur, which drew criticism as it ignored demands for social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
So far, the South Asian country reported one death and 17 infections with the virus.
Bangladesh shut schools nationwide until March 31 and slapped a travel ban on neighbouring India and European countries, excluding Britain, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
It also assigned its armed forces to build specialised health facilities to provide treatment for potential coronavirus patients, a minister said.
Coronavirus patients will be kept in isolation or quarantine at these facilities to be built on the bank river Turag, Health Minister Zahid Maleque told a news conference in Dhaka.
At the site an annual gathering of the Sunni Tablighi Jamaat movement, the Bishwa Ijtema with several millions of participants is held each January.
The government handed over the grounds to the army to build the facilities, Maleque said, but did not give further details about the the size of the planned facilities.
(dpa/NAN)