‘Break’ from lockdown

Bangladesh, grappling to contain the coronavirus outbreak, is relaxing an ongoing ‘strict lockdown’ for a week from Thursday ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.
During this period, businesses will resume, sacrificial animal markets will be set up and people will be allowed to travel to their village homes to celebrate the occasion with their families.
But what makes this period particularly challenging is making people properly follow the health and hygiene rules. Callousness will aggravate the coronavirus situation, health experts have warned.
The relaxation period will continue until July 22 and the government has asked people to abide by the health guidelines issued by the Cabinet Division.
From July 23, two days after the Eid, the ‘strict lockdown’ will resume, said a Cabinet division gazette notification on Tuesday.
Bangladesh Railway, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority and Dhaka Road Transport Owners Association confirmed the operation of trains, launches ‍and buses across the country.
All kinds of public transports will run by keeping half of their seats empty.
Before relaxing the lockdown, a rush of homegoers triggered traffic congestion on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway. As public transport will remain open for a single day after Eid, there are chances of traffic chaos on July 22 as people will rush to return to their workplaces.
Rabed Amin, spokesperson of the Directorate General of Health Services, said, “Containing Covid-19 spread on public transports and shopping malls during Eid holidays is important. Health guidelines should be strictly maintained as it would determine whether Covid cases would increase or not.”
“Half of the seats in public transports must remain empty and everyone has to wear masks when they go to outside. Shopping malls have to maintain health guidelines and law enforcement agencies should play a role in this regard,” he said.
Public health experts, however, discouraged people to embark on long journeys to go to their village homes during Eid.
“First of all, going to villages should be discouraged,” said Mohammad Mushtuq Husain, former Principal Scientific Officer at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research.
“As public and private offices will remain closed till August 5, service holders should not be in a hurry to return to their workplaces. Informal workers will also have no work in cities because of the lockdown,” he said.
He also asked the government to ensure adequate public transports hiring vehicles from private offices which would remain idle during Eid days to avoid crowd of people.
Tourist spots and community centres will remain closed during the relaxed period, said the government adding that all kind of social, religious and political gathering would also not be allowed.
Bangladesh on Wednesday recorded 12,383 coronavirus cases and 210 deaths, according to the DGHS.
The local caseload now stands at 10,59,538 and death tally at 17,052.
The daily infection rate slightly fell to 29.14 per cent. The overall infection rate is gradually increasing and currently stands at 14.92 per cent.