People should follow restrictions on their own: ministers

People across the country are venturing out of their houses as they used to before the Covid outbreak and travelling from one district to another violating the government restrictions on public movement and business activities aimed at containing the second surge in the coronavirus infections.

Many said that they did not find any agency effectively enforcing the restrictions imposed on April 5 and were extended in phases till May 30 midnight amid widespread violations, raising fear of a surge in coronavirus infections that had already killed 12,376 people and infected 7,89,080 since  the deadly virus was detected here on March 8, 2020.

The government on Sunday extended the ongoing restrictions relaxing operations of inter-district buses, trains and launches amid widespread violations.

People were seen crowding on ferries and travelling from one district to another by small vehicles ignoring the restriction in the absence of any effective measures to enforce them.

Asked about the violations of the restriction in absence of any move for proper enforcement, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said that people should obey the restrictions on their own and maintain the health guideline to protect them from Covid infections.

He told New Age that people were travelling and moving outside despite the risk of being infected with the virus.

‘We have already sealed the land ports with India for travellers. But the reality is that we have a long land border with India and due to the government move around one lakh Bangladeshi citizens are now stranded in India,’ he said.

The home minister said that the government was thinking of what more they could do to enforce the restrictions to contain the second surge of Covid-19.

Local government minister Md Tajul Islam said that local representatives were campaigning to make people aware of the Covid-19 and the government restrictions as well.

He said that the home ministry and the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority among other agencies were responsible to enforce the restriction on public movement.

About the relaxation of the restrictions, railways minister Nurul Islam Sujan said they would try to follow health regulations like maintaining social distancing by selling 50 per cent tickets and sanitising the trains resuming services today.

‘We have already made some of the railway stations access restricted areas where we will only allow passengers with masks and tickets,’ he said.

If people violate the social distancing rules or do not wear a mask inside trains, they would be fined, he said, adding people should wear masks on their own. 

Road Transport and Highways Division secretary Md Nazrul Islam said that the government had imposed the restrictions considering the issues of public health while people themselves would have to remain alert and be aware of what to do in the situation.

Alongside raising awareness among people, the government has to implement the restrictions and to this end, from Monday, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority would conduct mobile courts at all inter-district bus terminals in Dhaka, he added.

Shipping ministry secretary Mohammad Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury said that during the recent Eid vacation people crowded ferries as there were no other alternatives for inter-district movements.

‘Executive magistrates of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority will conduct mobile courts at different spots to check violations on launches from Monday,’ he said and urged the launch owners to follow the regulations also.

The government in a fresh circular closed all government and non-government offices, imposing further restrictions on public movement and overall activities from April 14 to check the worsening COVID-19 situation in a fresh order.

The previous restrictions on public movement and businesses that came into force on April 5 have remained on paper as more people came out of homes to reach their destinations while many went shopping, crowding markets despite high risks of infections in the capital as in other cities across the country.

News Courtesy:

https://www.newagebd.net/article/138645/people-should-follow-restrictions-on-their-own-ministers