Weeklong restrictions across Bangladesh going on

The weeklong restrictions on public movement and businesses began Thursday morning with the deployment of army and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel beside police to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.

All government and non-government offices have been closed as per the government order throughout the country.

Members of law enforcement agencies are seen at different points in the city, verifying identities of the people moving outside.

Rickshaws and some private vehicles are plying on city roads.

The government on Wednesday ordered the restrictions, banning movement of people outside their houses without emergency.

Shopping malls, markets and shops remain shut while operations of all modes of public transports on roads, rail, waterways and domestic flights along with all kinds of motorised vehicles would be suspended from 6:00am on July 1 to July 7 midnight, according to a circular of the Cabinet Division issued on Wednesday.

The fresh move came amid widespread violations of the three-day countrywide restrictions on public movement and businesses that ended on the day creating confusion among people about the government’s initial announcement for the countrywide ‘lockdown’ from Monday due to frequent changes in its decision in the past couple of days.

Industries would, however, continue productions on their own arrangements maintaining the health guidelines, mainly to ensure social distancing and mandatory use of masks and hand-sanitisers.

No one will be allowed to move outside their houses without emergency which includes obtaining medicines, essentials and receiving health services and attending funerals. Legal actions will be taken against violators of the restrictions, said the order.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   The country recorded the highest ever 8,822 daily Covid infections in 24 hours till Wednesday 8:00am. It also logged 115 more deaths from the viral disease, taking the death toll to 14,503 and cases to 9,13,258.

The Armed Forces Division would provide army troops necessary for ensuring effective patrolling the areas under the provision of the ‘army in aid of civil power’, said the official order, adding that the district magistrates would hold coordination meetings with officials concerned to fix jurisdiction and procedure for deployment of army, BGB, police, RAB, and Ansar members.

The National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19 on June 24 recommended a complete shutdown across the country for 14 days as the countrywide restrictions on public movement and activities have largely been ignored by the people since April 5 as the restrictions were extended for the 10th times till July 15.

Goods-carrying vehicles — truck, lorry, covered van, cargo vessel — ports (air, sea, river, land) will remain out of the purview of the restrictions.

The Rapid Action Battalion executive magistrate, Palash Kumar Bosu, conducted a mobile court at Shahbag intersection in Dhaka at about 10:30am.

They fined four individuals for not wearing masks and not having any valid reason of going outside.

‘Our aim is to ensure the government and the Cabinet Division’s directive. There is no alternative to maintain those directives for containing the spread of coronavirus,’ said Palash Kumar Bosu.

‘We strongly believe that if the people from all walks of life come forward to help us, the covid infection rate will drop soon,’ he added.

Bangladesh Army Major Shaffey Md Sokik, also a patrol commander said, ‘We are patrolling with the Dhaka district administration. We conducted patrols in Lalbagh, Hazaribagh, Chawkbazar, Kamrangirchar, Bangshal and old town areas. We are also working on raising awareness amongst people.’