Bangkok (People's Daily) - Bangladesh on Thursday confirmed 2,733 new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, bringing the total to 196,323 since the virus first arrived in the country in March.

Barbers wearing protective cloths give to their clients a haircut at a barber shop amid concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Dhaka on July 7, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

A total of 106,963 patients have recovered and returned home, and 2,496 have died from complications related to the disease, according to Bangladesh 's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The Bangladesh government issued a notice on June 15 to re-block severely hit areas of the country, and the army was deployed to those areas to strengthen the implementation of epidemic prevention measures. 

Bangladesh first reported confirmed cases of COVID-19 on March 8, and the number of new cases in a single day has continued to rise since then.