Schools, colleges and universities will also remain closed during the Mar 26-Apr 4 general holidays announced to stem the coronavirus spread, according to the education ministry.

“Educational institutions usually remained closed during general holidays, which mean they will be shut [until Apr 4],” Mahbub Hossain, secretary to the ministry’s Secondary and Higher Education Division, said on Monday.

The ministry had already shut educational institutions from Mar 18 to Mar 31 and on Sunday postponed the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams, which were scheduled to start from Apr 1.

Earlier on Monday, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam announced the decision to keep all government and private offices and courts shut for 10 days from Mar 26 amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected at least 33 people and killed three.

The shutdown will not affect emergency services while public transport will operate on a limited scale.

Banks will also remain open during the general holidays but their operations will be scaled back in this period to reduce the risk of further outbreak, according to Bangladesh Bank.