Tens of thousands people gathered in Bangladesh to attend a prayer session to get rid of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The devotees gathered in an open field in the southern town of Raipur as the south Asian country reported its first death from the global pandemic.
“They held the prayers after dawn to free the country from the coronavirus,” Local police chief Tota Miah told AFP.
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The organizers, who did not secure permission according to Bangladeshi authorities, claimed that there were around 25,000 attendees.
The session received backlash and criticisms on social media, with some people calling it outrageous and unbelievable.
Bangladesh, which one of the densely populated countries in the world, is struggling to impose social distancing as many people are ignoring the warnings of the government.
This has prompted the government to impose lockdown in vulnerable areas such as Shibchar municipality and three areas to contain the virus.
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Obaidul Quader, a senior leader from ruling party Awami League, bared that “If necessary, Bangladesh will be shut down. It’ll be enforced where necessary.
“People must be saved first. We’ll do everything for that,” he added.
Bangladesh recorded 24 cases of COVID-19 with 4 fatalities as of this posting.
