COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh Bangladesh on Wednesday registered 790 new coronavirus cases, the highest single-day jump since the outbreak in the country, health authorities said. The total number of cases in the country rose to 11,719, said Nasima Sultana, additional director general (administration) at the Directorate General of Health Services. No coronavirus patient recovered over the past 24 hours, so the total number of recovered patients stood at 1,403, Sultana said. As of Wednesday, four more coronavirus patients died, including a policeman, raising the tally to 186. Earlier this week, Bangladesh eased some of its coronavirus restrictions ahead of the Muslim holy festival of Eid al-Fitr allowing some markets and shops to be opened. The country's religious authorities also announced to allow people to observe daily congregational prayers at mosques after nearly a month of ban. As a part of its recent efforts to bring back stranded citizens, the country planned to fly back around 29,000 Bangladeshis from several countries in the Middle East. According to Bangladesh’s police, the total number of policemen died due to the virus rose to six. Besides, at least 1,190 policemen have so far tested positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday, the said. About 200,000 police personnel are on the field to ensure public safety and the implantation of the nationwide lockdown. Meanwhile, as many as 576 doctors have so far tested positive with two deaths as of Tuesday, said Shahed Rafi Pavel, the head of the Bangladesh Doctors’ Foundation. *MD Kamruzzaman from Dhaka contributed to this story.