The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed over  436,322 lives globally while the number of confirmed cases has gone up to 8,015,053 as of Tuesday  morning, according to the Centre for System Science and Engineering of the Johns Hopkins University.   According to JHU data, Brazil and Russia have come up to the second and the third positions after the US with 888,271 and 536,484 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Tuesday.   Meanwhile, South Asian country India has come up to the fourth position after Russia with 332,424 confirmed Covid-19 cases. The country has so far reported 9,529 deaths.

 
On the other hand, Brazil counted the second highest deaths after the US as it reported 43,959 deaths from the virus till the date.
 
Among the countries, the US has been the worst-hit with the highest recorded deaths of 116,135 patients and about 2,113,372 confirmed cases.
 
In the US, New York State alone counted 30,856 deaths till the date.
 
The UK has the third-highest death toll at 41,821, followed by Italy with 34,371, France 29,439 and Spain 27,136, according to Johns Hopkins University.
 
Coronavirus cases were first reported in China December last year.
 
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus crisis a pandemic on March 11.
 
Situation in Bangladesh

Bangladesh confirmed its first cases on March 8 and the first death on March 18 but it has been seeing a sharp rise in both new cases and deaths in recent weeks.

Also Read - Coronavirus in Bangladesh: 3,099 new cases recorded, 38 more die in 24 hrs

The health authorities of the country have so far reported 90,619 coronavirus cases and 1,209 deaths in the country.
 
Government takes new steps
 
In an effort to prevent transmission of coronavirus and  improve the situation, the government on has issued some directives imposing restrictions on the movement of people.
 
The Cabinet Division issued the directives on Monday which will remain in force until June 30. Weekly holidays will be included in the directives.

 
According to the directives, all government offices, non-government, autonomous, private offices and their employees and staffers under ‘red’ zone will be under general holidays and the Public Administration Ministry will take necessary measures in this regard.
 
The life and livelihood, movement of people in red, yellow and green zones under Bangladesh Risk Zone-Based Covid-19 Containments implementation Strategy guide, provided by Health authorities will be strictly controlled.
 
No one will be allowed to go out of his/her home from 8pm till 6am without emergency work (emergency purchasing, work place, medicine purchasing, treatment, and burial process).
 
People will have to maintain health issues when going out for emergency work or they would face legal action.
 
All have to abide by the directives provided by the Health Department during this period.

Red Zones in Bangladesh

Some areas of the two city corporations in Dhaka, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Narshingdi and Gazipur district have been marked as ‘Red zones’ to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Read Also: 45 areas in Dhaka, 11 in Chattogram marked as ‘Red zones’

Seventeen areas under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), 28 areas under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), 11 areas in Chattogram, Sadar, Rupganj and Araihazar upazilas of Narayanganj, Narsingdi Model and Madhabdi thanas, Palash upazila in Narsingdi district and all upazilas of Gazipur district will be declared as Red zones.
 
Those areas are being considered as Red Zones in Dhaka and Chattogram city corporations where 60 cases in last 14 days or among 100,000 population were detected, according to a source of DGHS.