Businesses are to remain open until 4:00 pm daily from 10 May due to the ongoing holy month of Ramadan and upcoming Eid-al Fitr festival, but subject to a number of conditions, as the special coronavirus holiday was extended for the sixth time to 16 May, a government gazette notification said on Monday.

A Cabinet Division gazette notification said “Shops will be allowed to remain open to do business on a limited scale. But all have to maintain distance and follow health guidelines during buying and selling,” adding that “Big shopping malls will have to make arrangements for hand washing at their entrances and arrange disinfecting of vehicles entering the malls.”

The previously announced holiday from April 26 to May 5 will continue from May 7 until May 14, it said, adding that Buddha Purnima holiday on May 6 as well as weekly holidays of May 15 and 16 will be added to it.

The notification however added that none will be allowed to leave their workplace during the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays. All inter-district transport will remain suspended during the holidays.

Different emergency services will be out of the purview of the general notification on holidays and includes vehicles and workers employed in various emergency services, including electricity, water, gas, energy, fire services, land, river and seaports, telephone and internet, and post offices.

Besides, goods-laden vehicles and cargo vessels will be allowed to operate as usual.

Those who are engaged in processing of agricultural products, insecticides, foods, industrial goods, kitchen markets and pharmacies will remain out of the restriction, said the notification.

Doctors, health workers, medicine carrying vehicles and workers, journalists (electronic and print media) and cable TV network employees will remain out of the purview of the holidays.

All educational institutions must be closed during the general holidays or shutdown.

During this period, the movement of people and plying of vehicles from one district to another and one upazila to another will be monitored strictly by the local administrations along with the law enforcement.

People have been asked to remain in their respective homes and refrain from going outside other than emergency purposes between 8:00pm and 6:00am, according to the notification.

The central Bangladesh Bank will issue necessary directives regarding banking hours considering the continuation of business activities ahead of Eid.

All ministries and divisions will open the offices in their jurisdiction if needed, and issue necessary directives.

On March 23, the government declared general holidays from March 26 to April 4, aiming to prevent the transmission of coronavirus.

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, from April 17 to April 25 and finally until May 5.