Amdadul Haque
A large number of people, mostly students of Dhaka, have started moving to their home districts after the announcement of the closure of the educational institutions amid growing concern over the novel coronavirus threat. Even those who are in Dhaka do not go out unless essential. The impact of this scare has begun to take effect on the roads of the capital. There is less movement of people on the roads.
Moving around the city on Wednesday, this correspondent found Sadarghat launch terminal, Kamlapur railway station and several bus terminals crowded with homebound people and the rush is expected to continue for a few more days. As per the government announcement to close down all educational institutions in the country from March 17 to March 31 in the situation arising out of the coronavirus, the students began leaving Dhaka from yesterday afternoon.
The number of mass transit was relatively less in the city. Most of the buses that pass through the city do not have many passengers.
Visiting Kamlapur railway station in the morning on Wednesday, the train counters of the inter city train were quite crowded. Some students were waiting for the Parabat Express train to go to Sylhet. Jabed Ahmed, a student of Dhaka College, said, "My parents asked me to go home. I think a village is more safe than the city in this critical situation.”
A student of Dhaka University Sahan and his friends were sitting on the platform waiting for Rajshahi’s train, said that it is not a normal holiday. Students at the Sadarghat launch terminal waiting to return home think that the decision to close the educational institutions to prevent coronarvirus infection is a positive one. The decision to discontinue educational institutions activity will only be effective if the students stay at home and do not wander outside the home unnecessarily.
A first-year student of a private university, Jaheda Aktar said she was going to Barishal. She said most of her class mates are leaving Dhaka and going to village home because the campus of her university is small. But the students are more than 8 thousand. As a result, everyone was in panic. Now the students are relieved a bit because the university is closed.
Rubel Ahmed, a college student, along with his sister left Dhaka from Mohakhali bus terminal on Wednesday noon said, "There was a big crowd there, and they charged Tk 100 extra over the usual price, citing scarcity of tickets." Mosharraf Hossain, general manager of Hanif Paribahan told the Bangladesh Post that the number of passengers increased after the government announcement of closing down educational institutions.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has reported the first coronavirus death in the country on Wednesday. Prof Meerjadi Sabrina Flora, director of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) confirmed in a briefing and said the number of patients with coronavirus infections rose to 14 from 10 previously in the country.
On the other hand, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said at a press briefing at his secretariat office on Wednesday, “If required, the government will lockdown some areas to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which has killed over 7,800 people across the world.”
The minister said: “Use of public transport will be gradually decreased if the coronavirus situation gets worse. If required, we will suspend all public transport.”Earlier, the Health Minister Zahid Malik said the coronavirus in the country has spread to the level of community transmission. About 198,178 people around the world have been infected with the deadly virus and 7,954 deaths were reported globally till Wednesday.
