Bangla Academy has cut the daily opening hours of Amar Ekushey Boi Mela 2021 by two and a half hours as the fair will now close at 6:30pm everyday.

The schedule of the book fair has been changed due to the recent sharp rise in Covid-19 infection rate in the country, the Academy said in a statement yesterday.

From now on, the fair will start at 3:00pm and end at 6:30pm, it said.

The Boi Mela was supposed to remain open from 3:00pm to 9:00pm on weekdays and from 8:30am to 9:00pm on weekends (Friday and Saturday), with an hour's break for lunch and prayers.

Though the month-long fair commemorating the 1952 Language Movement is usually held in February every year, this year's event has been delayed due to the pandemic.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on March 18 opened the book fair on Bangla Academy premises and Suhrawardy Udyan.

The 28-day event is scheduled to end on April 14.

This year's fair has been dedicated to the martyrs of Liberation War. The main theme of the fair is "Birth Centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Golden Jubilee of Independence".