Dhaka, May 5 (IANS) The Bangladesh government has allowed shopping malls to reopen from May 10 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and also laid down a series of conditions for the businesses to operate ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

The shops will be allowed to operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily while the shoppers and sellers will have to maintain physical distance and follow other hygiene rules, the Cabinet Division said on Monday.

"The shops are allowed to remain open on a limited scale for the ongoing month of Ramadan and the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr," bdnews24 quoted the Cabinet Division as saying.

Bangladesh has already extended the nationwide lockdown to May 16 amid a surge in the confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths.

But it has slightly relaxed the stay-at-home orders for citizens which were previously in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

As of Tuesday, there were 10,143 confirmed coronavirus cases in Bangladesh, with 182 deaths.

--IANS ksk/