Coronavirus: Benapole port closed for 5 days

Export-import activities at Benapole land ports have been halted for five days, amid a lockdown in India’s West Bengal to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The shutdown, which started from Monday morning, will continue till Friday.

However, the process of unloading goods inside the Benapole port will remain uninterrupted and passport holders can continue to return home through the port, confirmed Benapole C&F Agent Staff Association General Secretary Sajedur Rahman.

He said: “Authorities at the Petropole C&F Agents Staff Welfare Association notified us that in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus, following government directives, they have decided to stop export-import activities till Friday.

“They also told us that the next step will be decided considering future developments regarding the Covid-19 outbreak.”

Since March 8, when Bangladesh detected the first Covid-19 case, authorities have confirmed 33 known cases, three deaths and five recoveries until Monday.

The global pandemic, since it started in China’s Wuhan city in late December last year, has infected more than 372,200 people so far and killed over 16,300 in 195 countries and territories globally as of Monday, according to worldometer.