The capital Dhaka that has been put on virtual lockdown formally by the government looks empty, quiet and ghostly, but the similar scenario is prevailing across the country informally amid the outbreak of deadly COVID-19 or coronavirus worldwide.
As part of the cautionary measures to prevent spread of the coronavirus and its transmission or infection to people, the Bangladesh Police on Sunday announced that none would be allowed to leave Dhaka and also enter into the capital. Day after the decision, on Monday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police in an additional order asked all to keep everything stopped by 6:pm daily.
However, according to information received from elsewhere in the county, almost all the cities and districts are now under lockdown informally.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Division at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday ordered to lockdown all the zones where infected patients are detected.
According to witnesses, personnel from the Defense Forces and Bangladesh Police alongside the local administrations remain on patrol countrywide to monitor the government orders for maintaining social distancing and home quarantine. They are seen making awareness announcement to stay at home and not to go out unnecessarily.
Witnesses also said that law enforcers and security personnel are also staying at different entrance and exit points as well as at different strategic points.
Sources said lockdown has been strictly implemented on many districts like Chattogram, Jashore, Cumilla, Munshiganj, Sirajganj, Moulvibazar, and Natore.
In Chattogram, a super shop in the city was shut and its owner and staff were sent on a 14-day quarantine on Sunday after one of the employees tested positive for Covid-19.
The shop, ‘Basket’, was initially closed after the staffer’s father tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday, the first case in the port city.
Sitakundu Upazila Nirbahi Officer Milton Roy said the owner and staff were sent on home-quarantine.
Meanwhile, the death toll from coronavirus in the country has risen to 12 as the country confirmed three more deaths on Monday.
So far, 123 people have been infected in Bangladesh, 35 in the last 24 hours alone.
In Sirajganj, local administration has put 8-10 houses at Sarapur village in Tarash upazila under lockdown following the death of a garment worker on Monday, said Tarash Upazila Nirbahi Officer Iffat Zahan.
In Munshiganj, seven houses in Tongibari and Gazaria upazilas were kept under lockdown as the local administration found some people close to a person infected with coronavirus in Narayanganj district.
Gazaria UNO Hasan Sadi said a policeman went to the house of his father-in-law in Bhaberchar area from Narayanganj and he came in contact with a person infected with the coronavirus.
Besides, Tongibari UNO Hasina Akter said six houses in Dulihata, Amtali and Arial villages were locked down after Covid-19 patients visited those.
In Cumilla, local administration on Monday put a house at Paschim Bagichagaon Station Road in the city under lockdown as an inmate is suffering from cold and fever, said Dr Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, deputy civil surgeon of Cumilla.
After getting information, the local administration kept the house under lockdown in the afternoon, he said.
Besides, Daudkandi upazila administration locked down a house at Bhelanagar village after a resident showed coronavirus symptoms on Sunday.
UNO Quamrul Islam Khan said six families of the house were put under lockdown following the advice of the upazila health officer.
In Natore, local administration on Monday kept six families under lockdown in separate villages in Singra upazila of the district.
“Six men of six families returned home from Dhaka and Narayanganj recently with symptoms that match coronavirus,” said upazila health officer Dr Aminul Islam.
Following this, the families were kept under lockdown, he said, adding that their samples were collected for test.
In Moulvibazar, local people put five villages under lockdown after samples of a deceased were found positive for Covid-19 at Akua village in Rajnagar upazila on Sunday.
Rajnagar UNO Urmi Roy said the five villages -- Akua, Syednagar, Bhangerhat, Dola and Goyghar -- were put under lockdown from Sunday night.
In Jashorre, local youths voluntarily brought two villages in Bagharpara upazila in Benapole under lockdown to contain novel coronavirus infections in the area.
Youths of Boalia and Nawapara villages stopped the six entrances to their villages, said Rawshan Izdani, local union parishad member.
According to latest information, five more people died of coronavirus infection in the last 24 hours, IEDCR said on Tuesday. This was the highest number of deaths in a day so far in the country.
The death toll now stands at 17, Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora, director, Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) said during a briefing.
Forty-one people have tested positive for Covid-19 in last 24 hours. With this, the total number of infected has reached at 164.
The number of samples collected from around the country in the last 24 hours is 792, Prof Abul Kalam Azad, director general of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said during the briefing.
Among the five deceased, one is female. Two were above 60, two were between 51 and 60, and another was 41-50 year old, Dr Meerjady said.
Two of the deceased are from Dhaka while the rest are from other districts, she added.
Among the 41 newly infected patients, 28 are male. One of the infected is under 10 years while four are 11-20, 10 are 21-30, five are 31-40, nine are 41-50, seven are 51-60 and the rest are above 60 year old.
Of them, 20 are from Dhaka city, 15 from Narayanganj, one from Keraniganj, one from Cumilla and another from Chattogram, the IEDCR director also said.