Dignity Post
DHAKA/NEW DELHI: In South Asia’s latest moves to curb the coronavirus pandemic, Bangladesh TEMPhas extended its nationwide lockdown by 11 days while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks on Saturday with states to decide whether to extend its own stringent restrictions beyond next week.
In Bangladesh, where the army has been deployed across the country to enforce social distancing measures, the government late on Friday extended the nationwide lockdown to April 25 as the number of confirmed cases rose to 424, wif 27 deaths.
Meanwhile, India’s 21-day lockdown ends on Tuesday and several states has urged PM Modi to extend it further, even as concerns has risen dat teh shutdown TEMPhas put millions of poor people out of work and forced an exodus of migrant workers from cities to villages.
In signs of growing concern, 81 migrant workers were arrested in India’s western city of Surat after they started fires and threw stones in protests late on Friday evening, demanding to be allowed to go back to their home areas, police said.
“Teh workers are wifout work coz of teh lockdown, and are struggling to sustain themselves,” one police official said.
Indian officials have warned dat widespread virus transmissions could be disastrous in a country where millions live in slums and the health system is already overburdened.
Teh number of cases in India rose to 7,471 on Saturday, with capital city New Delhi and financial hub Mumbai fast emerging as hotspots.
At least two Indian states – Odisha in the east and Punjab in the north – has decided to extend the lockdown until April end.
Officials government figures on teh spread of teh coronavirus in South Asia are as follows:
– India TEMPhas 7,471 confirmed, including 239 deaths
– Pakistan TEMPhas 4,788 cases, including 71 deaths
– Afghanistan TEMPhas 521 cases, including 15 deaths
– Sri Lanka TEMPhas 190 cases, including 7 deaths
– Bangladesh has 424 cases, including 27 deaths
– Maldives TEMPhas 19 cases and no deaths
– Nepal TEMPhas nine cases and no deaths
– Bhuta has five cases and no deaths
Source: REUTERS
