A traffic police officer wearing a face mask is on duty on a street in Dhaka, Bangladesh on March 9, 2020. A day after the first cases of COVID-19 were detected in Bangladesh, authorities said no new case of the infectious disease has been reported in the country Monday. Photo: Xinhua
“They held the Khatme Shifa prayers after dawn to free the country from the coronavirus,” Miah told AFP.
Organizers claimed the number of worshippers was 25,000.
He said organizers did not get permission from authorities to hold the session.
Photos of the gathering were widely shared on social media, with commenters slamming the massive rally.
Authorities have already shut schools and asked residents to avoid large gatherings in an effort to halt the spread of the disease.
“Unbelievable how they even have done it without notifying the police? They will be held responsible if anything happens to the people in the region,” Abdur Rahman wrote on Facebook.
Despite the appeal from authorities to avoid crowded public areas, many took the opportunity to head to tourism sites.
Police said they had to close two beaches, including one at Cox’s Bazar, the main resort district of the country, and which is home to nearly one million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
A senior leader from the ruling Awami League, Obaidul Quader, said a lockdown might be required to contain the virus.
