Slum put on lockdown after a resident catches virus

A slum in capital Dhaka's sher-e-Bangla Nagar area has been put on lockdown after its a resident contracted the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.

In line with the direction of the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control And Research (IEDCR), lockdown was imposed in Motahar slum on Wednesday afternoon, confirmed Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station officer in-charge Jan-e-Alam Munshi.

A local said police barred people from coming out of the slum and entering it after a dweller tested positive for COVID-19.

The deadly virus cases in the capital surged by 39 in last 24 hours, making the total to 124, according the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

Dhaka, the most populous city of Bangladesh, now has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the country. 

Bangladesh on Wednesday confirmed 54 new coronavirus cases and three deaths, bringing the country's tally respectively to 218 and 20.

The country first reported its coronavirus cases on March 8. Since then the country has been witnessing increase in the infections and deaths.  

COVID-19, first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan, infected 1,446,981 people and killed 83,090 across the globe as of Wednesday, according to Worldometer, a website which compiles number of new coronavirus cases and deaths from it.

However, total recovery from the coronavirus pandemic reached 308,684 across the world.