Most of the people in the city are not off work due to the strict lockdown enforced by the government to bring the Covid-29 situation under control. But cleaners and waste disposers are an exception; they continue working in a risky situation.
Cleaners and waste disposers under the North and South city corporations continue working regularly, cleaning roads and picking up garbage from houses in the difficult time of the pandemic. They work under strict guidelines but still remain at risk of contracting with the virus.
According to the authorities of Primary Waste Collection Service Provider (PCSPs), all workers are provided with masks and gloves on a regular basis.
From the beginning of the pandemic, residents have been advised to gather all the garbage of their respective buildings on the ground floor of the premises. Workers of the city corporations have been asked to collect the garbage from there and not to go door to door.
Akbor Ali collects garbage from the houses the Mohakhali area in the capital. He continues his work at a time when getting out of the house is presumed to be highly risky.
“There is no lockdown for us; we keep working no matter what the situation is. We are provided with masks, gloves and health guidelines that we need to follow,” he told the correspondent.
Akbor said no additional benefit was provided for their difficult living conditions and the risky conditions they work in.
The authorities, however, claim that the cases of such workers getting infected by the virus are very rare.
Delowar Hossain, a supervisor of PCSP, told Bangladesh Post that none of the workers that he works with have been affected by the virus.
“We’re continuing our work like we do on regular days. The lockdown has brought no change for us yet. None of our workers have been infected by the virus as of today,” he said.
Moqbul Hossain, Commissioner of Dhaka’s Ward No. 23, told Bangladesh Post that the workers are tested for the virus at regular intervals and none of the workers found infected in the latest test conducted last month.
“We tested all the workers before the lockdown and all of them tested negative. If a worker is infected by the virus, he or she is sent to get medical attention and the authorities take care of them,” he said.
Badrul Amin, Chief Waste Management Officer of DSCC, told Bangladesh Post that authorities take responsibility, if a worker gets infected by the virus.
“If a worker is infected, we send that person to the hospitals under our jurisdiction. Everything is taken care of. They are not given any additional facilities besides their regular payment, but medical services are provided,” he said.
M Saidur Rahman, Chief Waste Management officer of DNCC, could not be reached for his version on the matter despite several attempts.