Dhaka, May 23 (IANS): Bangladesh has extended the ongoing lockdown to May 30 but eased restrictions on transportation, which had been suspended since last month to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bangladesh's Cabinet Division announced the decision in a circular on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the latest circular, the government decided to resume public transport services on the condition of complying with the health rules from Sunday midnight.

To combat the further spread of the virus, Bangladesh had declared an eight-day strict lockdown effective from April 14 to April 21, which was later extended in phases to May 23.

Hotels and restaurants have also been kept out of the purview of the restrictions.

The easing of restrictions came after signs of slowing down in new cases and deaths in recent days.

On Saturday, the country's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported 1,028 new cases and 38 new deaths, increasing the overall infection tally to 787,726 and the fatality toll to 12,348.

According to the official data, the Covid fatality rate in Bangladesh is 1.57 per cent and the current recovery rate is 92.65 per cent.