More people, vehicles ignore lockdown rules

Though the novel coronavirus cases were only spiraling in the capital city, law enforcers seemed lax in enforcing the lockdown as the presence of police members had been few amid the general unwillingness of the city dwellers to maintain lockdown rules on Wednesday.

While movement of vehicles increased on the day, people in many areas kept ignoring the announcements made by the police and local volunteers through public address system asking them not venture out if it was not an emergency.

Most of the checkpoints on the main streets and entry points to the capital had no police presence during the afternoon. Private cars, motorbikes, rickshaws, vans and other vehicle roamed and plied unchecked.

Meanwhile, gatherings at kitchen markets and subsidised essential commodity selling points continued and remained a big challenge for the authorities trying to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus as many still do not follow social distancing guidelines.

As the number daily affected was rising dramatically, more districts enforced full lockdowns in the last two days as over 30 districts are now totally shut down and more than 20 are placed under partial shutdown.

Restriction on vehicle movements in the capital and elsewhere has been announced on March 26 amid police and army deployment.

The law enforcers, however, have been struggling to enforce lockdown as many people still roamed the streets, alleyways and kitchen markets.

In the capital, on Wednesday, vehicle movements increased and police or army personnel thinned out at checkpoints in Bijoy Sarani, Badda, Hatirjheel, Mirpur, Shamoli, Dhanmondi, Kakrail, Shantinagar, Paltan and some other parts of the city in the afternoon.

Usually, heavy police presence is seen at Gabtali, one of the main entry and exit points of the capital, as they check and quiz every drivers and riders about their movements.

No cops, however, were seen at Gabtali checkpoint from 1.30pm to 2.00pm Wednesday as private cars, motorbikes, rickshaws, vans were seen entering and leaving the capital unchecked.

A rickshaw-puller Jabbar Mia told New Age that he could not enter the capital, nor exit in the last few days, but on Wednesday no police personnel were there to question him and deny him entry to the capital while he was carrying passengers.

Few policemen were sitting idle at the checkpoint near Rampura Bridge as different vehicles were plying unchecked and without facing obstruction.

When approached at about 2.30pm, Rampura police sub-inspector Mominur Rahman, who was in-charge of the checkpoint, said that they were carrying out their duties properly and it looked relaxed since it was lunch time.

A constable of armed police battalion Khalid Hasan was discharging duty alone at a checkpoint on Gulshan-Mohakhali Link Road. He was struggling when attempting to check every vehicle.

Six policemen was on duty in this checkpoint since the day the shutdown began while at present one or two cops had to tackle more number of cars, said  Khalid.

While travelling across the city, no police were seen at checkpoints on Bijoy Sarani at about 1.15pm, Dhanmondi and Shamoli few minutes later. Checkpoints at Shantinagar, Kakrail, Paltan, had no police presence after 3.00pm.

Army patrolling appeared to have thinned out compared to the last few days, said some drivers and riders. They were not patrolling in the main streets and alleyways as much as they used to in the last few days. 

Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Shafiqul Islam, however, claimed that there was no laxity in enforcing lockdown on the part of the police.

‘Police vigilance is still firmly in place. Some of our traffic policemen have been infected by coronavirus while carrying out duties in the last few days,’ DMP chief told New Age.

Director of Inter Services Public Relations Directorate lieutenant colonel Abdullah Ibn Zaid also said that they were enforcing lockdown and patrolling strictly at all areas. 

Hatirzeel police placed under lockdown Insaf Barakah Kidney and General Hospital in Moghbazar after nine medical staff there tested positive on Tuesday.

40 doctors of Impulse Hospital at Mohakhali were in quarantine after a doctor and two nurses there tested positive for COVID-19.

The hospital acting chief executive officer Khadija Akter said that only ICU, CCU and emergency service of the hospital were in operation and the rest were shut down.

Our correspondent from Bogra reported that 10 people were arrested on Tuesday night as they were gossiping and roaming around the town violating lockdown instructions, said Sadar circle police additional superintendent Sanatan Chakrabarty.

Barishal sadar river police station officer-in-charge Abdullah Al Mamun said that they detained 261 people as they were trying to enter the district from Dhaka and its adjacent districts.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net