A mobile court in Chandpur has imposed fines of Tk one lakh on a restaurant and the organiser of a post-wedding party at the venue for violating Covid prevention protocols. Executive magistrate Mohammad Ujjal Hossain on Friday fined Rasuighar Chinese Restaurant and Party Centre in Chandpur district town and Abdul Latif of Faridganj upazila Tk 50,000 each for not adhering to government's Covid guidelines. Ujjal Hossain said the local administration has issued guidelines to contain the spread of coronavirus as the country has been of late seeing a surge in Covid-19 cases as well as deaths. Also read: Restaurant business bleeds as Coronavirus cases surge Besides, the mobile court also fined nine people Tk 1,900 for ignoring Covid health guidelines across the district town on the same day. Govt strengthens protective steps The daily surge prompted the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to issue an 18-point directive on March 29 to prevent the transmission of the virus. On the same day, the Health Ministry proposed strict measures like partial lockdowns for some places with higher Covid-19 transmission rates. Read Safe Lifestyle in COVID-19 Lockdown: Do's, Don'ts, and Precautions Other recommendations made by the ministry include closure of amusement centres and picnic spots, ban on religious gatherings, limiting wedding ceremonies, strengthening quarantine systems, limiting passengers in public transport, and limiting attendance in offices. It also suggested strong enforcement of the ‘no mask, no service’ policy, increasing the number of mobile courts and slapping fines on health guideline violators. Authorities in various districts have shut down amusement centres and are urging people to wear masks. But a large number of people are still reluctant to follow Covid protocols, putting themselves as well as others around them at risk. Read Covid surge: Mobile courts to ensure mask use soon Covid-19 situation in Bangladesh Bangladesh on Friday recorded more than 6,800 new coronavirus cases for the second day in a row, as the government ramps up efforts to contain the transmission of the virus. Bangladesh has so far recorded 624,594 coronavirus cases, according to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Read 25 fined in city for not wearing mask Vaccination drive The government launched a countrywide vaccination campaign on February 7 with doses received from the Serum Institute of India. Bangladesh inked an agreement with Serum in December last year for acquiring 30 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Serum is supposed to supply the doses between January and June this year – 5 million each month. Read Mobile court demolishes six illegal brick kilns in Magura

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali on Saturday said that necessary health safety measures have been taken for passengers of domestic flights scheduled to resume from Monday.   All passengers are urged to maintain health guidelines and physical distancing, he said while visiting the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.   Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry Senior Secretary Mohibul Haque, and Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mofidur Rahman among others were present.   Earlier on May 28, CAAB said that domestic flights would resume on Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Syedpur routes from June 1.   “But the embargo on international flights will be in place until June 15,” CAAB Chairman told UNB.   Primarily, four domestic flights will operate on a small scale and later gradually flights on other routes will resume, he said.   Besides, Biman Bangladesh Airlines also decided to resume its flights from June 1, while the international flights will remain suspended until further notice, said a press release.