Reopening of Businesses None knows what ‘limited scale’ means

Though the government is claiming that they have allowed various sectors, including businesses and public transports, to reopen on a limited scale under some conditions amid the risk of COVID-19 spread, there is no specific definition of ‘limited scale’.

The government is reopening the sectors apparently leaving their protection largely to people amid rising incidents of COVID-19 infections and deaths during the general holiday.

Asked how ‘limited scale’ would be defined in reopening businesses and factories, health ministry’s additional secretary Habibur Rahman Khan, also head of the media cell for COVID-19, said, ‘Limited scale is nothing strictly defined but it is understandable.’

‘It is the extent of easing and reopening businesses, which will maintain social distancing and health protocols so that people’s lives are not strained and people’s lives are not put at risk,’ he went on.

He said that people, meanwhile, had become educated about what to do and what not to do in this time. ‘Above all, people have their conscience, intelligence and maturity.’

Apparel factories have resumed operation and mosques are also open now to devotees while crowds on city roads are increasing every day in a lax enforcement of shutdown restrictions while the shops and markets will reopen tomorrow despite health concerns.

The government conditions for reopening garment factories on a ‘limited scale’ and the conditions imposed on opening mosques to devotees are not being followed properly, according to media reports.

‘We are reopening businesses on a “limited scale” under some guideline as we cannot afford to keep everything closed for long,’ said home minister Asaduzzaman Khan.

He told New Age on Friday that all would have to maintain social distancing and follow the health guideline to protect them from corona virus transmission.

‘People have some responsibility in this regard. They should apply their conscience during this crisis to determine to what extent these are open — in the coronavirus pandemic,’ the home minister said.

He, however, agreed that social distancing and the health guideline were not being maintained in kitchen markets as in some other places.

State minister for religious affairs Sheikh Md Abdullah said that they expected people to go to mosques maintaining the guideline on their own for their safety.

About reopening of businesses, commerce minister Tipu Munshi said on Thursday that shop owners and market authorities would decide whether to reopen their establishments ahead of Eid. ‘But those who choose to open must maintain the health guideline.’

Asaduzzaman hinted that the government might review the decision if the guideline was violated, worsening the situation.

State minister for public administration Farhad Hossain said that the holiday that began on March 26 was extended as the number of COVID-19 patients and deaths were increasing.

The government has announced public holiday since March 26 and extended it until May 16 in phases.

As to reopening shopping malls in the capital from Sunday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Thursday issued directives for the shopping centres and Eid shoppers allowing rickshaws and CNG-run auto-rickshaws on a ‘limited scale’ for shoppers’ movement.

 According to the instructions, people can go to shopping centers and markets within two kilometers of their residential areas from 10.00am to 4.00pm wearing masks, must show their identification cards or passports or driving licenses or utility bills’ documents at entry points to locate their residential areas.

The owners can reopen their shops ensuring heath measures, including maintenance of social distancing, facilities for hand-washing and disinfecting and the shopping centres must have separate entry and exit points and social distancing demarcations in front of each shop, the police instruction said, discouraging sick persons, elderly people and children from entering the markets.

The religious affairs ministry on May 6 decided to reopen mosques to devotees for prayers in congregations from Thursday, a month after limiting the prayers at mosques on April 6, subject to some conditions that children, elderly people, sick persons and people attending sick persons would not be allowed to come to mosques.

The notice said that all mosque-goers must perform ablution at home before arriving at the mosque to offer only farz prayers, maintaining social distancing while saying prayers, carpets or mats would not be allowed on the floor, and the mosques must be sanitised before each prayer and mosque-goers must bring prayer rugs with them.

There are reports that the government instructions are largely being ignored at places.

The government also allowed opening of garments factories from April 26 on a ‘limited scale’ with the workers available near their factories and imposed conditions that the authorities would not sack any worker and would pay wages to all workers, including those at home, but the media reported that the government instructions were generally not complied with.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net