Pharmacies in Dhaka will remain open 24 hours a day, Health Minister Zahid Maleque has said. “We do not give any instructions regarding the closure of the pharmacies by midnight. We are in talks with the city corporations on this. Anyway, pharmacies can remain open for 24 hours,” he told reporters, after a meeting at the Secretariat on Thursday. Read:Hotels, restaurants to close by 10 pm: DSCC Earlier on August 22, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) issued a notice allowing standalone pharmacies to remain open till 12am and those at hospitals till 2am to ration electricity. Besides, the corporation asked malls, shops, kitchen markets and other business outlets in its areas to remain open till 8pm and restaurants and hotels till 10 pm. This order will be effective September 1.

Amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, peoole can make payment through bKash for purchasing medicine and other essentials at around 7,000 pharmacies across the country. In addition, they will get 5 percent instant cashback on bKash payment during July and August. Starting on July 1, the offer will be valid till August 31. In a press release, bKash said currently bKash payment is available at around 7,000 pharmacies in all eight divisions across the country. More pharmacies are being brought under this service frequently, it added. Besides, customers can get cashback by paying with bKash app or dialing USSD code *247#. During the whole campaign period, customers can get Tk 200 maximum. They can get cashback up to Tk 25 daily and avail the offer five times in a month. The maximum cashback amount per month will be Tk 100. Customers can easily make payment by scanning QR code with bKash app. The merchant number can also be saved for future payment in fewer steps.