People continue flouting health rules as Covid lockdown goes into 2nd day

The second day of the shutdown has seen a random breach of the restrictions imposed by the government despite the country going into a weeklong lockdown starting from Monday.

People were out on the streets in search of a living while shops remained open in many Dhaka areas with some streets seeing regular traffic pressure. 

Customers were seen gossiping at tea stalls, having food at eateries, and smoking cigarettes with not a care in the world and that too without wearing masks. 

Many hawkers and street vendors were also outside, in the scorching heat, to sell various daily essentials among various other products.

Although public transports have been suspended till April 11, private vehicles, especially rickshaws and auto-rickshaws dominated the streets of the capital on the second day of the Covid lockdown. 

Groceries were seen open in great numbers, with many shopkeepers and salespersons not wearing masks. Even some customers were seen outside without a mask.

Besides, Kitchen markets were open in different areas with no signs of panic buying.

However, malls were kept closed, for the second consecutive day, following government directives.

Interestingly, hardly any action was seen to be taken about those flouting health norms imposed in connection with the lockdown except for mobile court raids in Dhaka city.

Sagar Mia, a grocery shop owner at Badda, said: "I don’t want to face conditions similar to last years."

“We had to starve following the indefinite general holidays in 2020. So this year we do not want this. 

"Everything seems very normal now and I always maintain the health protocols at my shop,” he added.

Meanwhile, shop owners and employees of New Market and adjacent shopping malls staged demonstrations for the third consecutive day, protesting the closure of shopping malls during the lockdown.

They demanded that the government allow market owners to keep markets open for four hours every day during the shutdown.

Experts have said that implementing the lockdown in a relaxed manner would not help that much in curbing the recent coronavirus upsurge in the country.

Public health expert Dr Biddut Barun, deputy director (planning and development) of Chittagong Medical University, said usually a lockdown is imposed when the authorities failed to create awareness among people.

“This lockdown can definitely lower the transmission rate. But without making sure that every citizen follows health safety rules, it could become unsuccessful,” Dr Barun told Dhaka Tribune on Monday.