Authorities on Thursday imposed a week-long lockdown in the nine upazilas of Bagerhat district to contain the spread of Covid-19. The lockdown will remain in force till June 30 midnight. The decision to enforce the lockdown was taken at an emergency virtual meeting of the District Corona Prevention Committee on Tuesday, presided over by deputy commissioner Mohammad Azizur Rahman. Also read: Nationwide lockdown not needed if transmission in Dhaka, nearby districts is controlled: DGHS There will be strict restrictions on public movement in the upazilas. No vehicles will be allowed to ply on the roads during the lockdown. However, emergency service vehicles will remain out of the purview of the restrictions.  Mobile courts will penalise the violators, while the volunteer force will keep a tab on the ward and union levels in the district. On Wednesday, four people died of Covid-19 in the district. Of them, one died at Sadar Hospital, while the remaining three died at Khulna Medical College and Hospital. So far, 73 people have died in the district, according to health officials. Also read: Week-long lockdown imposed in Jibannagar to curb Covid spread Besides, 60 people tested positive for Covid in 24 hours till Wednesday morning. The positivity rate stood at 44%. District Civil Surgeon Dr KM Humayun Kabir said that a total of 2,751 people have been found infected with the virus and of them, 1,843 recovered in the district. He also urged people to strictly follow the health guidelines stipulated by the government.

Authorities in Chapainawabganj on Tuesday imposed a week-long lockdown to break the chain of Covid transmission.   All intra-district and long-distance buses as well as private vehicles would stay off the roads during the lockdown. However, no such restrictions apply on the movement of vehicles ferrying goods.   Train services to and from the district have also been suspended in the wake of the recent surge in Covid cases in Chapainawabganj.   Moreover, all shops, markets and restaurants would remain closed, albeit for grocery stores and pharmacies. This would allow people to buy their daily essentials and medicines from their local grocers and chemists.  Read:Covid-19: Bangladesh sees 25 more deaths, 1,441 new cases   Officials of the local administration and police personnel have been deployed on all the major roads of the district to ensure strict compliance.   Besides, as many as 27 checkpoints have been set up across the district to curb the movement of people, unless for specific reasons. "Cops will also patrol the streets of the district to make the lockdown a success," said an official.   Health officials said the lockdown would help stem the spread of coronavirus in the district.   Civil Surgeon Dr Zahid Nazrul Chowdhury said, "Some 82 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, of a total of 202 samples tested. The infection rate is 45 percent in the district." Read:Inter-district public transport services finally back; passengers happy   With the latest figure, the district's Covid tally has reached 1,393. Of them, some 1,030 people have recovered to date. As many as 28 people have died from the virus so far. Currently, 286 people are undergoing treatment at different hospitals.