Dhaka, July 6 (IANS): The Bangladesh government has extended the nationwide "strict lockdown" imposed against the Covid-19 pandemic for seven more days until July 14.

The country's Cabinet Division made the announcement in a circular issued on Monday, reports Xinhua news agency.

To combat the pandemic, Bangladesh declared the seven-day lockdown effective from July 1 with "strict measures".

The Cabinet Division in its latest order said all existing restrictions were extended in consideration of the current state of the pandemic which continued unabated in the country.

Earlier on Monday, Bangladesh reported its highest spike of 9,964 new Covid-19 cases and 164 fatalities, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The figures were the highest single-day spikes since the onset of the pandemic in the country on March 8, 2020, bringing the infection tally to 954,881 and the death toll to 15,229.

According to the official data, the fatality rate in Bangladesh is now 1.59 per cent and the current recovery rate fell to 87.87 per cent.