Bangladesh extends lockdown amid COVID-19 surge

Bangladesh on Monday decided to extend its ongoing lockdown for another week to contain the spread of coronavirus.

"The decision was taken in line with suggestions by public health experts and considering the global COVID-19 situation," said the State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain.

Shops and malls will remain open from 10 am to 8 pm, the Dhaka Tribune reported, quoting public official Hossain.

However, the final decision will be taken at another meeting on Tuesday, officials further said.

Officials from different ministries including health, home, foreign, public administration, and civil aviation were present at the inter-ministerial to discuss the COVID-19 situation.

On a previous day, Bangladesh decided to close its border with India for the next 14 days following a sharp rise in the country's COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The country has registered a total of 748,628 COVID-19 cases with 3,306 people tested positive for coronavirus and 97 deaths in the last 24 hours.

( With inputs from ANI )