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Risks increase in village


Bangladeshpost
Published : 20 May 2020 10:19 PM | Updated : 02 Sep 2020 07:40 PM

Amdadul Haque

Thousands of people continued to depart the capital Dhaka for their village homes, desperate to return to their distant villages even it meant walking the entire way home.

Their troublesome and risk-prone uncertain journey, defying the social distancing rules, for their village homes to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr with family, alarmingly increases the risk of more community transmission of deadly Covid-19.

Amid the suspension of all types of public transports and the government’s warning asking people not to move from their locations to long distances to curb the spread of coronavirus, people, carrying their children, bags and other belongings, were seen walking miles at a time to reach their village homes ahead of Eid.

They huddled close together at many points of the city trying to leave Dhaka by renting ambulances, private cars and pickup vans as public transports are closed.

Concerned experts also feared that the coronavirus infection will spread to the villages this time.
Last week, as number of coronavirus cases kept going up, the holiday or shutdown was extended till May 30, which covers the Eid holidays at the end of the Ramadan.

Under the circumstances, and in the absence of public transport, people have been going for unconventional travelling options, such as goods-laden trucks, private vehicles and other smaller vehicles, to reach their destinations, putting them and their families’ lives at risk.
The rush for village homes, defying the government directives, from Dhaka city increased on Wednesday, as thousands of people were seen thronging different highways on the city outskirts.

Some said they left their houses in the city for good and had nowhere to go but their village homes. The travellers, who came from different areas of Dhaka and Narayanganj, were seen waiting in deplorable condition, defying all social distancing rules that are mandatory to prevent coronavirus transmission.

During a visit to a section of the highways on Wednesday, people were found walking towards their village homes. They said they were returning to their village homes to Comilla, Noakhali, Feni, Lakshmipur and in other south-eastern regions to celebrate Eid festival.
Thousands of people were seen crossing Meghna and Gumti bridges by foot, before which they used auto-rickshaws and motorbikes to come all the way from Dhaka.

Salma Begum, an elderly woman, told The Bangladesh Post that she started from Dhaka to go to Chittagong. "I had to pay five times the fare and changed seven to eight vehicles until now. I don't have much money in my pocket and I am worried about reaching my destination."

Mizan Ahmed, a man returning home, told The Bangladesh Post that he would go to Comilla's Daudkandi upazila. "I came from Dhaka by using a number of vehicles. I walked at least 10 kilometres after crossing the Gumti Bridge."

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rahmat Ullah, in-charge of Comilla highway police, told The Bangladesh Post that police sent back the vehicles that had tried to cross the bridges and check posts have been operated to ensure that cargo trucks could not transport passengers.

He said, "Vehicles are dropping passengers off near police check-posts and leaving. We can stop the vehicles, but how will we restrict the movements of people walking? But there are no traffic jams on the highway."

Experts said that the peak time of coronavirus infection is going on in the country at present. Extreme caution is required at this time. Infection prevention strategies are needed to be taken by ensuring effective lockdown as well as social distancing. But without that, the way thousands of people are rushing from Dhaka to the villages, the number of victims will increase at an alarming rate.

Former director general of the Department of Health, Professor Shah Monir Hossain told The Bangladesh Post, that “While the virus had spread to 64 districts of the country, it had not yet spread to more than two-thirds of the upazilas. It was a hopeful thing. But with thousands of people returning home from the most infected capital Dhaka for Eid, those villages will no longer be safe. Infection will spread there. Then the situation will go out of control.”

He further said, “All the members of the committee of public health experts reviewed the spread of the virus and gave a forecast. It considered the maximum infection period between the current month of May and the second week of June. After that, the idea was that the spread of the virus would gradually decrease. But in the current situation it will be further delayed.”

Meanwhile, IGP Benazir Ahmed urged people not to go to villages to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr amid the Covid-19 crisis. He requested everyone to stay where they are now, instead of going home.

“Stop wherever you are being stopped and come back. You may be just a number in the death tally of the coronavirus pandemic, but you are the whole world to your family,” the IGP said at a recent press conference on law and order ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr amidst the ongoing epidemic.

“Police will help you if necessary. For those who are thinking about going to your villages ahead of Eid, don’t. Stay where you are and follow the government’s directives,” he added.

Commenting on the overall issue, Health Minister Zahid Malek told media that the government has taken the highest steps to prevent the virus. I have been saying from the beginning about the lockdown being effective and ensuring social distancing. Alerts are being published and broadcast on daily newspapers and television channels to create awareness. But people don't seem to be listening. The way thousands of people fled to the villages could spread the infection widely in the villages.