Amid the spike in Covid-19 cases in the country, Amar Ekushey Book Fair -2022, which was scheduled to begin on February 1, has been postponed by two weeks.

“State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid said the government has taken a decision to postpone the Amar Ekushey Book Fair  considering the overall Covid situation,” Foysal Hasan, senior Public relations officer of the ministry told UNB.

Last year, the month-long fair, which usually begins on Fenruary 1, was also postponed to avoid the risks of Covid-19 infections.

Later, the fair began on March 18 at the Bangla Academy premises and the adjacent venue at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital.

The book fair is arranged every year in February commemorating the sacrifices of those who laid down their lives on 21 February 1952 for establishing Bangla as the mother tongue.

The traditional Amar Ekushey Book Fair began informally in 1972 at the Bangla Academy premises.

However, the academy officially took the responsibility to arrange the fair regularly — every year since 1978.

It was then named as ‘Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela’ and a guideline was laid out in this regard in 1984.