5th Day of Restrictions, More people on road, more shops open

Public movements increased on the streets of the city and elsewhere in the country as hundreds of roadside businesses opened on Sunday, the fifth day of the eight-day nationwide shutdown to mitigate the surge in coronavirus infections.

Police officials said that most of the people went out with movement passes while others were from the emergency service providers and did not fall under the restrictions.

They said that from different checkpoints police turned away some people and fined few others.

Residents in many areas said that most of the roadside shops were kept open in the morning but no market allowed shopkeepers to run their business.

Ashraful Islam, a 40-year-old bike servicing shop owner at Banglamotor in the capital said that he kept his shop shut in the last four days but opened today as he gave in to the request of his three employees.

He said that all his  employees were paid daily and earned more from customers’ tips.

He said that the poor workers were fighting to maintain their livelihood in this Covid situation as their earning have reduced significantly since the beginning of the outbreak in March 2020.

Ridesharing bike rider Amzad Hossain said that he came out of the house today looking for work as he was down to his last money and he has no savings.

‘I am running the bike though I know it is risky,’ he said, adding that police’s check posts were reluctant to stop people today compared with the past few days.

Hundreds of rickshaw-pullers were also seen plying the roads in the capital carrying passengers.

Some rickshaw-pullers said that the police was comparatively polite to them on the day.

Assistant inspector general of Bangladesh police Md Sohel Rana said that the police continued their works at the check posts at the city’s different entrance and exit points to enforce restrictions.

In the past 24 hours, 1.16 lakh movement passes were issued, he said, adding that so far over six lakh passes were issued since April 13.

Executive magistrates of the Dhaka South City Corporation, the Dhaka North City Corporation and the Dhaka district administration among others continued the activities of the mobile courts in different parts of the city.

Officials said that at least 30 mobile courts under executive magistrate conducted drives at different points.

Vaskar Debnath Bappy, an additional district magistrate in Dhaka, said that on Saturday the magistrates filed 130 cases and realised Tk 172,900 in fines.

Abu Nasher, public relation officer of the DSCC, said that 11 mobile courts filed 33 cases on Sunday and realised Tk75,000 in fines.

Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity president Helal Uddin said that the association would not get any responsibility of particular businessmen if the law enforcement agencies took punitive actions against them.

He said that they requested the government to allow traders to open shops from April 22.

Public gatherings at kitchen markets in the city were as crowded as before.

Though the government declared the shutdown to avoid public gatherings, the residents, particularly teenagers, gathered on junctions and other open spaces at different residential areas, especially after ifter.

A similar situation was seen in the major cities including Chattogram, Barishal, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Rangpur.

The government on April 12 announced a closure of all government and non-government offices for eight days, imposing further restrictions on public movement and overall activities from April 14 in a fresh restriction for eight days.

Operations of all modes of public transport besides domestic and international flights were suspended till April 21 midnight.

Our correspondents reported that the eight-day restriction was observed relaxedly on the fifth day on Sunday as working class people rushed for work.

They said that mild traffic jams were also seen at different crossings in the cities and towns as many private modes of transport and auto-rickshaws ran on the streets in violation of the restrictions.

Rajshahi University correspondent of New Age reported that a mobile court fined 35 persons Tk 25,000 in the first half of Sunday for violating the government’s restrictions and non-compliance with hygiene rules.

Executive magistrate Mohammad Kawsar Hamid also sentenced a hotel owner to seven days imprisonment for serving food at his hotel.

Mohammad Kawsar Hamid told New Age that they fined and imprisoned people under section 160 of the Infectious Diseases Prevention, Control, and Eradication Act-2018 (Penal Code 180).

He also said that the district administration distributed 520 masks to make people aware.

News Courtesy:

https://www.newagebd.net/article/135751/more-people-on-road-more-shops-open