Movement of people as well as different types of transports have comparatively increased on the city roads and different parts of the country on Sunday amid strict movement restrictions.
The scenarios were noticed on the fifth day of the ongoing weeklong lockdown imposed by the government to control the transmission of coronavirus during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Accordingly public gathering at different kitchen markets, grocery shops and other markets like fish, vegetables and iftari has also increased perhaps most possibly due to the month of Holy Ramadan.
Meanwhile, movement of international flights for different countries in the Middle East has also resumed on Saturday for the expatriates with special arrangements.
Witnesses said long queues of various transports, including private cars, microbus, rickshaws and CNG-run auto-rickshaws were seen on almost all the roads in the capital Dhaka and different cities.
Many residential neighbourhoods were also found crowded with shops open in most lanes and bylanes.
On the other hand, personnel from the police department were seen busy checking people and transports moving on the roads. They were checking whether those people and transports were moving with movement passes.
It should be mentioned that the police department has introduced a system of movement pass for emergency movement purposes. Police, however, filed many cases and fined many people for not having the movement passes.
Some of the police officials admitted that some of the rickshaws, private cars and motorbikes were moving on the roads despite the ban on their movement. Some day labourers were also seen coming out on the roads.
According to sources, different types of offices, organisations and establishments, like hospitals, banks and kitchen markets remained open amid the lockdown. People of those offices and organisations had to reach their destinations with special permission. But many others were seen moving without the movement passes.
A police official on duty at a check post at the capital’s Rampura admitted that movement of public and transports increased on Sunday compared to last few days.
Sources in the government said, a total of 476 expatriate workers left Dhaka for Saudi Arabia and Oman yesterday. They left Dhaka through Hazarat Shah Jalal International Airport by Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Air Arabia.
According to officials concerned, the government allowed the movement of different flight for Middle East and Singapore so that expatriate workers could fly for their destinations on time.
They said apart from those 476 expatriate workers, 1,500 more workers were scheduled to leave Dhaka after 12:00am for different countries.
It should be mentioned that aimed at curbing the transmission of coronavirus, the government imposed a fresh and strict lockdown from 6:00am on April 14, which will last till 12:am on April 21.
In this regard, the government on Monday (April 12) issued a notification. As per the notification issued by the Cabinet Division, during the lockdown, all modes of public transports, including those of road, river, railway and air, will remain suspended during the lockdown.
But the offices related to air, maritime and river and land ports will remain out of the preview of the lockdown.
However, the restriction will not be effective in the case of carrying goods, emergency services and production. But industries and factories will remain open on condition of maintaining health protocols. The respective factories or industries must take measures to carry their employees in their own vehicles.
Offices, staff members and vehicles of the organisations providing emergency services, including law enforcement, agricultural products (fertilizer, seeds, pesticides, machineries), crops, food laden vehicles, relief distribution, health services, health workers involved in mass inoculation, power, water, gas, fire services, port activities, media (print and electronic media), private security management, telephone, and postal services will remain out of the purview of the restriction.
Public movement will be restricted and no one will be allowed to go outside except for certain emergency needs (to purchase medicines, daily essentials, to take medical services and burial/ cremation of dead bodies, taking Covid-19 jabs etc).
Hotels and restaurants can operate from 12 pm to 7 pm and 12 am to 6 am with takeaway/online services only.
