Many Bangladesh markets reopen Sunday amid fear of virus spread

Though government allowed markets and shops in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country to reopen from today ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, most shopping mall and market authorities had already decided not to open their businesses at a time when cases of COVID-19 only increasing.

Business leaders said that they once urged the government to allow shops and markets to reopen but they decided against it as the situation was in decline.

 

Bangladesh Shop Owners Association president Helal Uddin told New Age that not more than 10 per cent of the shops would open today as shop owners were warned about the risk of transmission of the life-threatening disease.

Public health experts said that reopening of shops would increase the danger for both shopkeepers and customers and it would only allow more community transmission.

On May 4, the government decided to reopen shopping malls in a limited scale under some conditions when Bangladesh is registering more COVID-19 cases than the USA, India and Pakistan after 60 days since the first cases.

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Business leaders said that Dhaka New Market, Baitul Mukarram Market, Stadium Market, Gulistan-Fulbaria belt markets, Mouchack Market, Bashundhara Shopping Mall, Jamuna Future Park and a number of markets in cities posh area would not reopen even after government’s clearance.

They said that there were some businessmen who were fighting for livelihood and they would open their businesses maintaining safety of employees and shoppers.

Dhaka South City Corporation Market Federation president Jahir Uddin Md Babar said that they have discouraged all 77 market committee about reopening the markets as maintaining health directives would be almost impossible in those places.

He said that most of the wholesale markets were crowded and maintaining necessary distance was difficult there. 

Aarong, an enterprise of BRAC, decided to reopen a selected number of outlets with special health safety measures to save livelihoods of some rural artisans and small entrepreneurs, said a press release.

As part of safety measures Aarong, for the first time in Bangladesh, introduced online booking to visit their store, said Tamara Hasan Abed, managing director of BRAC Enterprises.

‘Considering the livelihood of 65 thousands artisans and women entrepreneurs, Aarong has taken this decision to reopen its outlets,’ she said.

Aarong chief operating officer Mohammad Ashraful Alam told New Age that six outlets out of 21 outlets of Aarong will remain closed.

Centre for Policy Dialogue on Saturday said that the decision of reopening markets and shopping malls should be based on opinion of experts and doctors as the country has been passing the fourth stage or community transmission of the outbreak.

There are pressures for relaxation of lockdown as the economic activities came to a standstill due to the lockdown imposed, CPD executive director Fahmida Khatun said at a virtual press briefing on its budget proposal for the fiscal year 2020-2021.

Economy and livelihoods are important but life comes first, she said.

She said that a small survey on Facebook showed that a majority of the respondents opposed the decision to open the shopping malls.

Among 2,264 respondents, 93 per cent said they do not support the decision while 96 per cent or 1,047 respondents said that they will not go for shopping even if shopping malls were open.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury told New Age that the government was inviting a greater danger for the country by reopening of the businesses and other entities.

He said that the government took the decisions as it gave more priority to bureaucrats than experts.

Freedom fighter-doctor Professor Quazi Quamruzzaman said that government should continue the shutdown for some more days as till now shutting down was the best policy to prevent COVID-19.

The shop owners decided to shut their businesses from March 24 when coronavirus infection was increasing and government was reluctant to take any decision about them.

Commerce minister Tipu Munshi on Thursday said that shop owners and market authorities would decide whether to reopen their establishments before Eid but those who choose to open must maintain the health guidelines provided by the health ministry.

Reports received from Chattogram, Sylhet and Mymensingh said that no shopping mall and markets would reopen in the cities.  

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net