Shawdesh Desk:

The government has banned the entry of travellers from India to Bangladesh for two weeks from today due to a sharp rise in coronavirus infections in the neighbouring country.

The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting on Sunday.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said, “It has been decided by the Cabinet Division that our borders with India will remain closed. The decision will be implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs.”

He said those who entered the country on Sunday must stay in quarantine for 14 days.

Home Ministry sources said no one from India will be allowed to enter the country for the next two weeks starting from today.

However, the movement of goods will continue as usual.

On Sunday morning, Prof Dr ABM Khurshid Alam, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, told reporters that with the detection of new variants of coronavirus in India, it has been proposed that all communications with the neighbouring country except the transportation of emergency goods be cut off.

In the last three days, India reported over 1 million coronavirus cases.

A total of 349,691 people were infected with the virus in the last 24 hours till Sunday. During the period, 2,767 people lost their lives to this virus.

Bangladesh’s international flights remained suspended from April 14 in an effort to contain the coronavirus transmission.

Besides, those who were entering the country from India since then had to remain in mandatory quarantine for 14 days.