Bangladesh: Virus cases top 32,000 after highest spike

DHAKA, Bangladesh

The number of coronavirus cases in Bangladesh crossed 32,000 on Saturday after the country’s highest single-day spike to date.

Over the past 24 hours, 1,873 more people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 32,078, a top health official told a news briefing.

The death toll rose to 452 with 20 more fatalities, while 296 recoveries pushed the total to 6,486, according to Dr. Nasima Sultana of the Health Services Directorate General.

She said 10,834 samples were tested at 47 authorized laboratories since Friday, raising the total to around 235,000.

Infections among Bangladeshi police personnel also continued to rise, with 178 more police officers testing positive for COVID-19.

The new cases raised the overall count to 3,574 – over 11% of the country’s total case count.

Around 1,300 of the infected personnel are serving in the capital Dhaka.

Twelve police officers have died in the country so far, while 722 have recovered, according to the media wing of the Bangladesh Police.

It said most of the country’s over 200,000 cops are involved in the fight against COVID-19 and are playing a vital role in efforts to implement social distancing guidelines and maintain law and order.

Meanwhile, amid fears that infections will surge over coming weeks, Bangladesh eased restrictions on movement within cities for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Local media reported increasing traffic at points exiting Dhaka ahead of the holiday starting this weekend.

While public transport is suspended until May 30, city police told Anadolu Agency that the government has allowed people to leave the capital for the holiday using personal transportation.