Bangladesh soldiers set to patrol streets as national Covid lockdown looms

Majority of country's 168 million people will be confined to their homes by Thursday, with authorities readying military to enforce strict measures

Bangladesh authorities are preparing to enforce a sweeping national lockdown to combat a deadly resurgence of Covid-19 infections, with public transport networks closing and soldiers ready to patrol the streets.

Thousands of people were stranded in the capital, Dhaka, as authorities halted almost all public transport, leaving commuters to walk, sometimes for hours, in the sweltering summer heat.