Hundreds of people have started moving out of Dhaka city for their native towns ahead of Eid-ul-Azha holidays, defying the strict lockdown enforced by the government aiming to put a leash on the spiralling numbers of deaths and new cases from Covid-19.
Bangladesh on Sunday witnesses the highest 230 deaths and highest 11,874 new cases in a single day since the virus first identified in March last year.
According to the latest statistics from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the country’s total death toll from the pandemic now stands at 16,419.
Apart from that, the country recorded a total of 10, 21, 189 positive cases till 8:00am on Sunday.
The new tally supersedes 212 deaths on July 9, and the highest 11, 651 positive cases a day before.
However, many of those who are unable to find work in the capital have started to move to their native homes amid rumours that a curfew might be imposed before Eid-ul-Adha, expected to be celebrated on July 21.
Md Rasel Sarker, a clothing shop owner from the capital’s Mohammadpur area, said his business had been very slow for the last two months and remained totally closed for 10 days since the government declared the strict lockdown.
“I was waiting to reopen markets but when I heard that the government might enforce an emergency-like restriction during the holidays, I decided to leave the city for my home town,” said Rasel, a resident of Faridpur.
However, Health Department spokesperson Robed Amin told The Business Post that such rumours were baseless and the government has not taken any such decision.
“The government did not take any such decision, nor did any government committees ask for a curfew or emergency declaration,” he said.
He also added that the misinformation was being spread by a vested quarter on social media.
He also attributed the recent spike in Covid deaths and cases to those who had defied government restrictions and travelled to their native homes ignoring health guidelines.
The government lastly declared a seven-day nationwide ‘strict lockdown’ from July 1 which was later extended to July 14, followed by restrictions on movement time and again.
Talking to The Business Post, Shivalaya police station officer-in-charge Md Firoj Kabir said that a significant number of people were crossing the river Padma but no crowd was seen on any side of the Paturia-Dauladia and Kazirhat ferry route.
On July 9, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation issued a circular barring passenger movement across the Padma River.
Local people said that most of the people travelled the road by using motorcycle, auto-rickshaw, microbus and private cars while public vehicles remained suspected.
BIWTC Deputy General Manager at Paturia ferry terminal Zillur Rahman said that they were operating eight ferries out of 16 to transport only good-laden trucks and emergency vehicles.
“We will not carry any passengers,” he said.
According to DGHS, Bangladesh’s positivity rate reached 29.67 per cent till Sunday after testing 40, 015 samples in 613 laboratories across the country.
Meanwhile, 6,362 patients have recovered from the deadly infection in the last 24-hours.
Among the new deaths – 133 were males and 97 females – 66 people died in Khulna, 56 in Dhaka, 39 in Chattogram, 26 in Rajshahi, 22 in Rangpur, five in Mymensingh and eight each in Barishal and Sylhet. 211 patients died while receiving treatment at hospitals.
Meanwhile, 111 of them were aged over 60 years, 51 were aged between 51 and 60, 42 aged between 41 and 50, 19 aged between 31 and 40, and seven aged between 21 and 30.
Covid positivity rate in Dhaka metropolitan area was at 25.11 per cent while it found 40.16 per cent in Faridpur, 40.39 per cent in Khulna, 51.84 per cent in Barishal and 53.18 per cent in Moulavibazar.
Bangladesh first identified Covid positive patient on March 8, 2020, and the first death recorded 10 days later.
