The National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19 has stressed the need to impose a complete shutdown across Bangladesh for two weeks, in the wake of the dramatic surge in infections in the country.
The panel made the suggestion during its meeting on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by NTAC chief Prof Mohammad Shahidullah on Thursday.
All offices, except for the emergency services, should be shut down, it said before adding the worsening situation cannot be controlled without a nationwide shutdown.
In the 24 hours to 8am Thursday, Bangladesh recorded 6,058 new Covid-19 cases and 81 deaths from the deadly disease.
The new Delta variant of the coronavirus is much more transmissible than the previous variants, says the NTAC statement.
After analyzing data from the Directorate General of Health Services it was seen that more than 50 districts have very high infection rates, it said.
The restrictions enforced in different parts of the country have not been fruitful, said the experts.
The advisors consulted experts in India and found that the infection rate has been under control only in the areas where full shutdown was enforced, which prompted the recommendation for two-week nationwide shutdown, according to the statement.
The committee also urged everyone aged above 80 to get vaccinated and thanked the prime minister for her efforts to collect vaccines from various sources.
