Dhaka, March 29 -- In a letter to Johnson, the prime minister wished her British counterpart a speedy recovery and promised to work closely with the UK to fight the pandemic, her Assistant Press Secretary ABM Sarwar-e-Alam told reporters on Saturday.

"While we are all fighting our own battles and challenges against the spread and loss of lives from the pandemic coronavirus, I have been closely following all your timely and dynamic leadership initiatives including extreme lockdown, supporting laws and financial stimulus to protect the people of the United Kingdom from the devastation and death from the coronavirus," Sarwar quoted Hasina from the letter.

The number of confirmed cases in the UK stood at 17,089 on Saturday morning.

The dea...