People keep ignoring mandatory use of mask
People continue to ignore instructions of using masks and maintaining health guidelines when venturing outdoors as the agencies responsible for executing the government instructions still lack efforts in ensuring enforcement.
At least five circulars were passed on the issue since the withdrawal of the general holiday on May 31 with rising incidents of COVID-19 infections and deaths from the disease.
Commuters without masks were found travelling on footpaths and in buses while people without masks were found at the shops and kitchen markets at the busy areas like Karwan Bazar, Farmgate, Maghbazar and Bangla Motor on Saturday.
Dhaka district administration and Dhaka metropolitan police authorities, however, claimed that they enhanced activities of mobile courts after the health ministry issued the latest circular on July 21.
The health ministry circular made law enforcing agencies responsible for ensuring use of masks by hawkers, rickshaw and van pullers, commuters on roads and passengers and staff of the public transportats including airplanes, buses and ferries.
Local government bodies and owners had been made responsible for ensuring use of masks at kitchen markets, shops and restaurants.
The cabinet division had earlier issued three circulars making mask use mandatory for everybody while going out while the directorate general of the health services in May asked the district administrations and the police to treat not using mask in public as a crime under the Communicable Diseases (Prevention, Control and Eradication) Act 2018.
The law has the provision for maximum six-month jail or Tk 1,00,000 fine or both for violations.
But, no enforcement of the law was found despite incidents of gross violation of the instructions.
While coming out of a Mirpur-bound bus at Bangla Motor intersection without mask, Nur Miah, 55, said that he found it suffocating to use mask while on a bus.
Several other passengers of the bus were not using any mask.
A security guard of the Saudia Trade Centre at Bangla Motor, Abul Kalam Azad, 70, was found strolling on the footpath without wearing a mask.
‘I forgot to cover face with a mask after saying my prayer,’ he explained.
Many youths, without masks or maintaining physical distancing, were found mingling with friends and acquaintances at the Suman Tea Stall on the Free School Street.
‘How to take tea wearing a mask?’ asked Naim, a teenager.
Many customers and shop owners at the Karwan Bazar Kitchen Market and in Farmgate areas said that they carried masks but did not use those in the scorching heat.
The public health experts, however, demand strict enforcement of the law for controlling the COVID-19 transmission.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Mohammad Walid Hossain said that the police already took a hard line and would not allow anybody in busy areas like bus stations, launch terminals and cattle markets without masks.
The DMP operated mobile courts last time on Thursday and realised Tk 52,900 as fines from 14 shops, eight vehicles and 13 individuals.
Dhaka’s additional district magistrate Vaskar Devnath Bappy said that they increased the number of the mobile courts and rates of the fines.
He could not, however, said the total amount fine the district administrations realised so far through the mobile courts.
Health ministry additional secretary Md Mostafa Kamal said that the ministry would discuss the matter with the ministry-formed technical committee members for setting the next step for the enforcement of the guidelines.
A cross-section of people, including commuters, transport workers and pedestrians, ignore the health guideline of wearing mask aimed at containing the coronavirus spread. These photos were snapped at different parts of the capital city on Saturday. — Sony Ramany
News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net
