As coronavirus continues to claim more lives and infect a larger number of people every day, the government has extended the ongoing general holidays till May 16 in a bid to prevent the transmission of the deadly virus.

The Public Administration Ministry issued a gazette notification in this regard on Monday, saying various emergency services will remain out of the purview of the shutdown. 

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 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.

Amid high risk of coronavirus transmission, some garment factories reopened on April 26 and garment owners claim they are operating garment factories with the workers available in Dhaka on a limited scale maintaining hygiene issues

The coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 212 countries and territories around the world.

Bangladesh has so far confirmed 170 deaths and 8,231 coronavirus cases.