Economic activities to resume from August 11

Almost all economic activities will resume from August 11, a Cabinet Division circular said on Sunday.  

Shops, malls and markets across Bangladesh can be open for business for 10 hours daily from August 11, as part of the government’s efforts to phase out the lockdown.

In a notification issued on Sunday, the Cabinet Division said shops can stay open from 10am to 8pm every day.

Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to operate dine-in services at half capacity from 8am to 10pm.

Also Read - Owners urge government to keep markets, shops open from August 6

All public transport too will resume their operations. 

However, the government stressed on ensuring the maintenance of the safety protocols and health guidelines everywhere.

Shops and mall owners have welcomed the decision, but they said that there is no chance of loss recovery at this stage, now the struggle is just to survive.

Talking to Dhaka Tribune, President of the Bangladesh Shop Owners' Association Md Helal Uddin welcomed this decision by the government and they already asked their members to open shops in strict compliance with the health rules.

“If anyone fails to comply, their shop will be closed. In this case, we will accept any decisions of the law enforcement agencies,” he added.

He also said that at this stage they have nothing to do but struggle for survival, there is no chance of loss recovery.

Also Read - Opening of shops too late to recoup losses, say shop owners

“All our small and big shops are losing an average of Tk 1,000 crore every day. In the last 1.5 years, our shops were closed for about 270 days. But we have to pay utility bills, our products have also been damaged and faded due to rain, insects,” he added.

He also said that this time they will keep the shops open in compliance with all the health directives and there will be an appeal to the government to keep the opportunity of opening shops unchanged.

The association has urged the government to ease the closure of shops and asked to resume operations on August 6. 

Earlier, The Cabinet Division issued a notice saying the closure of all shops and malls from July 1 is to curb the spread of Covid-19, though the lockdown was relaxed for 9 days due to Eid-ul-Adha.