Bangladesh scraps open-air Victory Day celebrations as virus cases surge

Bangladesh has cancelled all open-air events for Victory Day celebrations amid a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths.

People will be allowed to hold events indoors to celebrate Victory Day, but organisers will have to inform law-enforcement agencies about the visitors, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said on Tuesday.

“Organisers must seek permission from the local administration and maintain hygiene protocols for indoor events,” he said.

Khan spoke during an inter-ministerial virtual meeting on the security measures for the national programme adopted by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs.

Bangladesh recorded 2,525 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, the highest daily tally in about three months, taking the caseload so far to 464,932. The death toll surged to 6,644.