Dhaka, Aug 29 (IANS): Bangladesh has extended the shutdown of schools and other educational institutions until October 3 due to a continued surge in the number of coronavirus cases across the country.

The government had previously announced that the shutdown would be extended to September 30 but later issued a revised statement on the matter, bdnews24 reported on Friday.

"The ongoing holiday for all educational institutions, except Qawmi madrasas, has been extended to October 3 because of the global coronavirus pandemic," the Education Ministry said.

The government announced the closure of all schools and other educational institutions in the country on March 17 following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

It later ordered the shutdown of offices, workplaces and public transport services under a nationwide lockdown which came into effect on March 26.

Offices and public transport services later reopened on a limited scale at the end of the 66-day lockdown on May 31.

The rampant epidemic has also resulted in the postponement of the HSC and equivalent exams, originally slated for April 1.

The government has also suspended the primary education completion and equivalent examinations this year due to the health crisis.

As of Saturday, the total number of coronavirus cases in Bangladesh stood at 306,794, with 4,174 deaths.