General holidays may be extended for another 10 days

As coronavirus continues to claim more lives and infect a larger number of people every day, the government is likely to extend the ongoing general holidays for another 10 days again in a bid to prevent the transmission of the deadly virus.

However, the issue of extending the shutdown for another term totally depends on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The government’s responsible persons said this.

State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain told risingbd that as the coronavirus continues to infect people and worsens the situation. It needs to extend the ongoing shutdown. We have proposed to increase the general holiday. The shutdown may be extended till May 15 or May 16. However, Prime Minister will take final initiative in this regard.

Sheikh Yusuf Harun, secretary to Public Administration Ministry, said, “We have yet received any directive to extend general holidays.”

On March 23, the government declared general holidays from March 26 to April 4, aiming to protect people from being infected by the fast spreading virus as elsewhere in the world.

Later, the holidays were extended five times until April 25 -– first from April 5 to April 9, then from April 10 to April 14, later from April 15 to April 16, then again from April 17 to April 25 and finally from April 25 to May 5.

However, a notification issued on April 25 also included directive that all the ministries, divisions and their subordinate offices involved in providing emergency services will remain open on a limited scale during the extended general holidays.

On the same day, the Public Administration Ministry, said government offices at division, district and upazila levels under 18 ministries and divisions will remain open on a limited scale.

Earlier, the government closed all the educational institutions apart from shutting down the rail, road, river and air communications to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus.


Dhaka/Naymuddin/AKA