Eid journey, which people tend to make to celebrate a big festival like Eid-ul-Fitr with their relatives back at homes, raises fears of spreading coronavirus among the inbound and outbound passengers.
At the fag end of Ramadan, people tend to leave for homes cramming into buses, trains and launches— which is a signature feature ahead Eid-ul-Fitr — but this time Covid-19 pandemic might put everyone’s life at risk during such journeys.
As the coronavirus infection cases are on the rise, Eid rush for home and the return journey to Dhaka might be suicidal, as experts feared.
To stop the mad rush for home, the government very recently extended the ongoing general holidays till May 30 and enforced a restriction on the movement of public transports. Yet people in droves are leaving the capital. On Friday and Saturday, people from southern part of Bangladesh were also seen crowding Shimulia Terminal in Munshiganj en route to Dhaka.
Highways also see an increasing number of vehicles. On Saturday, people in large numbers were found leaving Dhaka boarding pick-up vans in the city’s Uttara. A group of people was also spotted hiring a bus in Uttara’s Azampur to make it to Mymensingh on Friday.
Though movement of public transport is suspended amid this lockdown, it is feared that thousands of people will head home no matter what -- experts consider this period the most risky.
Earlier, amid lockdown, the authorities concerned reopened garment factories, then backtracked on the decision, and finally reopened the factories, risking the contagion, said the experts. They said the fears that the decision of reopening factories would increase the infection rates, have come true. While visiting each other’s house during this Eid, many people will get infected coming into contact with silent spreaders, they warned.
Though the holidays have been extended in phases, it is alleged that keeping physical distancing and following other health guidelines cannot be ensured due to the gatherings of people caused by the reopening of garment factories and other businesses. As a result, infection cases are increasing.
Meanwhile, the government and the aid agencies have become concerned over detection of first coronavirus case in densely populated Bangladesh Rohingya refugee camps. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warned that Covid-19 outbreak in the densely populated camps -- home to around 11 lakh Rohingyas -- will be catastrophic.
Though the government earlier imposed restrictions on this year’s Eid journey home to control the spread of the virus, people in droves are heading home with the risk of being infected.
In this regard, Professor Rashid-e-Mahbub, president of National Committee for Health Rights Movement (NCHRM) and former president of Bangladesh Medical Association, said the journey from cities to villages and vice versa will increase the cases of infection. Announcement of general holidays and restrictions to follow health guidelines are on papers only, people are not caring a fig for the rules and regulations, he added.
Sixteen patients died from Covid-19 in Bangladesh over the last 24 hours as of Saturday. Besides, 930 more people tested positive which makes 20,995 confirmed cases in total. More than 300 people have so far died from the virus in the country.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Saturday said home-going tendency from cities to villages before Eid may worsen the coronavirus situation. He said this while speaking at a videoconference from Awami League central office on Bangabandhu Avenue. Quader, also the ruling Awami League General Secretary, urged the people to avoid gatherings at shopping malls, ferry terminals and other places. “Violating health directives might harm yourself and others…,” he added.
Asked, preventive medicine specialist Dr Lelin Chowdhury said the government has to go tough against the movement of public transports. Army, police and law enforcers have to be deployed at the Dhaka’s exit points so no buses and personal vehicles ply the streets unnecessarily. Referring to the curfew in Saudi Arabia, he said though the situation is not like that here in Bangladesh, measures have to be taken so that people cannot leave Dhaka ahead of Eid.
If a Covid-19 patient without any symptoms returns home crammed in a bus, he or she puts other passengers in the bus at the risk of being infected, said the physician. The droplets from his or her coughs and sneezes can hang out in the air for quite some time, affecting the people around, he added.
Meanwhile, a correspondent from Munshiganj said both Dhaka-bound and homebound people gathered at Shimulia Terminal in Louhajang upazila of Munshiganj. An overwhelming number of vehicles were seen waiting to board the ferries on Shimulia-Kathalbari route on Friday morning. A long tailback ran all the way to the Dhaka-Mawa Highway.
Describing the hassle along the journey to home, a passenger named Salma Parveen said she had changed vehicles twice to reach Shimulia Terminal from Dhaka’s Babubazar. Despite the hassle, she was desperate to go home to celebrate Eid with her dear ones. Even a few days back, she moved to Dhaka amid lockdown in a similar fashion to save the job, she added.
Homebound passengers said they had to spend extra fares while journeying by auto-rickshaws and motorcycles amid suspension of public transport. They said district and highway police set up checkpoints at Padma Bridge toll collection booth – 3km off the terminal – to ensure if people are maintaining physical distance guidelines.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people from 23 southern districts gathered at Shimulia Terminal on way to Dhaka. They flocked to come to Dhaka by auto-rickshaws and motorcycles counting extra fares.
Md Shafiqul Islam, deputy general manager of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation at Shimulia Terminal, said both Dhaka-bound and homebound passengers are crowding the terminal.
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In the meantime, another correspondent from Rajbari said people from 21 southern districts are heading to Dhaka through Paturia-Daulatdia Ferry Terminal amid the risk of coronavirus infection. They said they had to count extra fares.
Garment worker Sumon from Kushtia received a phone call from his factory based in Dhaka’s Ashulia to join the workplace. To save the job, he then started for Dhaka from Kushtia and already spent Tk350 to reach the ferry terminal en route to Dhaka. Another garment worker Washim, also from Kushtia, works in a factory in Dhaka’s Uttara. He along with some other colleagues reached the terminal by a CNG-run auto-rickshaw spending around Tk350, whereas the regular fare is Tk120. They said they had to move to Dhaka to save their jobs.
Crammed in a car, Rabeya Khatun along with her children was travelling to Dhaka’s Savar from Khulna. Asked why she was travelling amid the risk of coronavirus infection, she said she had to make the journey to see her sick husband, who works in the army.
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