The local administration has  imposed a  seven-day strict lockdown in Satkhira district to stem the spread of Covid-19 amid recent hike in infections in the frontier districts.

Civil Surgeon Dr Hussain Shafayat announced the decision  on Thursday following a meeting of Covid-19 protection committee.

The lockdown will come into  effect from on Saturday.

Also read: Bangladesh puts Satkhira border areas on alert

The positivity rate in Satkhira was 41% on June 1.

During the lockdown people will not be allowed to get out of their home unless there is an emergency.

Shopping malls, shops and restaurants will remain closed.

Vehicular movements to and from the district will also remain suspended.

Covid cases are growing alarmingly in Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi, Satkhira, Khulna, Kushtia, Jashore, Naogaon and Natore since the last week of May apparently for the prevalence of the highly transmissible Indian variant.

Amid the growing Covid-19 cases, health experts fear that Bangladesh’s frontier districts await a serious healthcare crisis as most hospitals and health complexes there are ill-equipped to cope with any worsening situation.

Nine more Covid patients die at Rajshahi hospital.

Also read: Lockdown in 7 villages of Chuadanga

As many as nine Covid-19 patients have died at Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital in the past 24 hours, health officials said on Thursday.

Deputy Director of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital, Saiful Ferdous, said, “The nine patients were undergoing treatment at the hospital. They died after their condition worsened."

“Of the deceased, five were from Chapainawabganj district, two from Rajshahi, and one each from Naogaon and Pabna districts,” he added.

With the fresh deaths, the district's fatality count has reached 77 people since May 24.

Strict restrictions were imposed in Rajshahi, parts of Khulna and Naogaon districts.

The frontier districts of Bangladesh have adequate oxygen in their stocks to deal with Covid-19 patients, DGHS spokesperson Dr Nazmul Islam said on Wednesday.

“Although the Covid positivity rate in frontier districts is much higher than the rest of the country, there’s no need to panic as hospitals have adequate medical supplies alongside oxygen in their stocks,” said the spokesperson of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).