Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government decided to extend the ongoing nationwide holidays for five more days till April 9 to contain the spread of deadly coronavirus.

“We have a simple message for all countries: test, test, test.”

An unknown fear grips Azizur Rahman every time he comes out of his home in the morning. An ambulance driver for years, Azizur feels he might contract coronavirus anytime as he has to come in contact with different patients every now and then.

After testing 153 samples, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research yesterday reported one Covid-19 case, bringing the tally of confirmed cases to 49.

“Have you brought food for us?” This was what 10-year-old Sohana asked these correspondents at the beginning of this conversation at Kamalapur Railway Station on Sunday noon.

The government should help private hospitals procure ventilators because there could be an acute shortage of the key device in the fight against coronavirus, Labaid Limited Managing Director AM Shamim said.

The government is likely to extend the ongoing shutdown for at least a week as part of its efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

As the coronavirus gains a foothold in the country, the increasing vulnerability of millions of orphaned and destitute children remains largely unaddressed.

Police yesterday arrested six people for “spreading rumours” and claimed to have kept over 100 social media accounts under surveillance for their involvement in spreading misleading information and rumours regarding the coronavirus outbreak.

Spain yesterday reported a national daily record of 838 coronavirus deaths in a fresh warning to the world that long-term lockdowns may be needed to halt the deadly march of a disease that has claimed more than 31,000 lives.

At least four people with coronavirus symptoms died in three districts yesterday while a patient with Covid-19 symptoms ran away from a hospital in Kishoreganj.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the people not to worry about the Covid-19 and to be prepared to face any situation that may occur in the wake of the virus outbreak.

As Bangladesh enters fourth week since it reported the first Covid-19 case, public health experts now call for expanding and speeding up the testing process immediately to understand the scale of the outbreak.

Mainul Islam was waiting by his rickshaw near an almost deserted Nakhalpara Rail Gate in the capital for over 20 minutes.

Bashundhara Group has given the government the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in the city’s Kuril area to be converted into a hospital to treat Covid-19 patients.

Dhaka is eerie quiet, much like most capitals and countries around the world as they grapple with a common enemy -- the spread of the coronavirus. Bangladesh is currently in the midst of a country-wide shut down that has been in force from March 26 and will extend till April 4.

A large number of Bangladeshi patients and their attendants are stuck in India as the neighbouring country has been under a lockdown since March 25.

Amid widespread outrage over police excess in enforcing restrictions on people’s movement, the authorities yesterday issued several directives asking police and other officials to act professionally.

Protests erupted in Tejgaon Industrial area yesterday over the plan to set up a dedicated hospital at a building in the area for treating coronavirus patients, halting the refurbishment works for hours.

Europe was reeling from a staggering surge in coronavirus deaths yesterday, still days or weeks from what experts desperately hope will be the epidemic’s peak.