Bangladesh Bank extends banking hours during coronavirus shutdown

Bangladesh Bank has extended banking hours for customers by one hour to 1pm amid the shutdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

The central bank on Thursday issued a circular, ordering banks to remain open until 3 pm and conduct customer transactions between 10 am to 1 pm from next week.

The government announced a general holiday, initially from Mar 26-Apr 4 before extending it to Apr 11, in a bid to reduce the risk of a further outbreak.

Although offices and workplaces were shut down, banks were allowed to operate in a limited scale and were open until 1.30 pm last week while transactions took place between 10 am to 12 pm.