Bangladesh deployed its army to enforce a nationwide lockdown, asking people to stay at home to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Thursday, March 26.
On Wednesday, Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced that the government will provide free food and cash for the poor for the next six months.
Hasina also declared an incentive package for the country's export-oriented garment industry to help pay millions of workers.
Bangladesh's garment industry is the world's second largest after China and annually earns about $30 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the United States and Europe.
The manufacturing companies said many big orders had been canceled by the Western buyers because of the impact of the deadly virus globally.
So far Bangladesh has confirmed 44 cases of COVID-19 and five deaths.
Globally, the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 450,000 people and killed more than 20,000.
(VOA/AP)
