Businesses reopen after lockdown

Shops, shopping malls and transports reopened today after the government decided not to extend the latest spell of virus lockdown, considering its impact on the economy.

Transports remained shut, and most business activities had halted during the lockdown, putting businesses and the low-income group in financial trouble.

In a notification on Sunday, the government said only half of the passenger vehicles would operate. They can carry passengers not exceeding their seating capacities. 

Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association General Secretary Khandaker Enayet Ullah said the decision was not passenger-friendly. “We requested the government not to implement this rule, but they ignored our request,” he told The Business Post.

“It will create vehicle crisis on the road and pose health risks as they will run at full capacity,” he added.

Meanwhile, restaurants and hotels can be kept open from 8am to 10pm.

Imran Hasan, secretary-general of Bangladesh Restaurant Owners’ Association (BROA), requested customers, restaurant owners and workers to follow health guidelines. 

He urged the authorities concerned to monitor the restaurants and hotels regularly and said they would cooperate with the government. “The government should take legal action against anyone failing to follow health guidelines while running businesses,” he told The Business Post.

Shop Owners’ Association President Helal Uddin Ahmed thanked the government for allowing businesses to resume. “We have already taken steps to maintain health guidelines. We request all shop owners and workers to follow the health guidelines strictly and maintain physical distancing at work,” he said. 

On August 2, nine traders’ organisations claimed that they incurred an accumulated loss of Tk 3,38,000 crore since the coronavirus outbreak in Bangladesh in March last year. 

Helal said they hoped the government would continue to support them in the future.

Previous bus fares reinstated

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has reinstated the previous bus fares as public transport carries passengers at full capacity.

No transport will be allowed to carry passengers beyond their seating capacity from Wednesday, said BRTA.

It issued a notification on its website regarding the movement of public transport on Tuesday.

Public transport will have to run on the previous fare, the notification said. 

The notification further said that passengers of public transport, drivers, supervisors and conductors, helper-cum-cleaners and persons in charge of ticket sales outlets would be required to wear masks and provided with hand sanitisers. 

The vehicles should be disinfected at the beginning and end of daily operations. Transport owners have to disinfect the handbags and luggage of passengers. 

Other hygiene issues in public transport must be followed, the BRTA said. Any violation of the directives would invite legal actions.

The government imposed a strict lockdown as coronavirus cases and deaths soared. On July 13, the government decided to ease lockdown restrictions for eight days during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays. It imposed the second round of lockdown from July 23 and extended it till August 10.

On July 30, the government allowed export-oriented factories to resume operation from August 1.