Cyclone Amphan has caused 40,800 farmers of shrimp, finfish and crab losses worth Tk 217 crore in the south and southwest coastal divisions, according to preliminary estimate by the Department of Fisheries.

More than 24 lakh people were moved to safety in 19 coastal districts as Cyclone Amphan bore down on the country’s coast yesterday afternoon, causing heavy rains and tidal surges up to nine feet.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government, unlike the previous governments, always responded very fast to the forecast of any disaster by engaging every human and material support to reduce the loss of lives and properties.

The Sundarbans have once again proved to be the key saviour of the country in times of natural calamity as the mangrove forest absorbed the fury of Cyclone Amphan, much as it had done before with similar forces of nature.

Healthcare facilities by definition are supposed to treat each and every patient seeking their services.

Bangladesh is seeing a more rapid increase in Covid-19 cases compared to some other Asian countries, with the number doubling every five days, said the World Health Organization (WHO).

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As the lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus continues to have an impact on people from all walks of life, a generation of working women is learning that their “work-from-home” is not quite the same as that of men.

The risk of smokers contracting Covid-19 is two times higher than non-smokers, said Prof Dr Nasima Sultana, additional director general (administration) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

This will be the first Eid for Arafat Haque, a lecturer of Demra University College, when he will not be able to buy anything new for his seven-year-old boy.

For the very first time in the history of Bangladesh, the education boards have decided to send results of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent exams to guardians’ mobile phones via SMS.

Thousands of people left Dhaka for the second straight day yesterday to celebrate Eid in their village homes, violating travel restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Already downgraded to Category 4, Cyclone Amphan could weaken further by the time it makes landfall close to the western Sundarbans, experts said yesterday.

Thousands of people have been moved to storm shelters in 19 coastal districts of the country as Cyclone Amphan is set to make landfall this evening with heavy rainfall and storm surges above 10 feet.

Health officials in the country are making predictions about the coronavirus outbreak based mostly on assumptions, not scientific analyses, experts said.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has recommended that the ministry of labour and employment close down 46 garment factories that failed to pay the workers’ salary for March despite repeated requests from the association.

The numbers of Covid-19 infection in Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party are rising sharply on a daily basis.

Cyclone Amphan was gaining pace in the Bay yesterday and may hit Bangladesh coast near the Sundarbans in the early hours of tomorrow, the met office warns.

The country yesterday saw the highest number of deaths from the novel coronavirus -- 21 in a single day -- with a record 1,602 positive cases.

Thousands of people have begun to leave Dhaka for their village homes ahead of the Eid, ignoring the risks of contracting the coronavirus and spreading it to many others.