Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has imposed a ban on operating app-based motorcycle ride-sharing services amid a recent surge in Covid-19 infections and fatalities. The ban will be effective for two weeks until further notice, it said. BRTA issued a circular in this connection on Wednesday (March 31, 2021) and sent the directives to the service providers. Also, the government on Wednesday raised the fares of all buses across the country by 60% as no public transport would be allowed to carry more than 50% of their capacity. Also read: Bangladesh reports record number of 5,358 new daily Covid cases; 52 deaths The Prime Minister's Office on Monday issued an 18-point directive for the next two weeks to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Bangladesh. The ministry proposed partial lockdowns for some places with higher Covid-19 transmission rate, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on the same day. Bangladesh recorded 52 Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours until Wednesday, the highest single-day death toll in seven months. Also read: Best Ride Sharing Apps in Bangladesh Besides, the country's health authorities recorded over 5,000 fresh cases for the third straight day. The latest figures showed 5,358 new cases in the past 24 hours, which pushed the caseload to 611,295, according to the Directorate General of Health Services. This is the highest daily infection since the pandemic began. Read How to Use Ridesharing Vehicles Safely during COVID19 Pandemic