Lockdown: More Dhaka residents, vehicles venture out
PBC News: Stores on Dhaka city’s streets and alleys are starting to reopen. There are more pedestrians outside, so are rickshaws and cars. Everything, aside from public transit, seems to be running in Dhaka. Many looking at the situation across the city wonder if any kind of lockdown is in place at all. From the looks of it, the restrictions seem to be easing.
There were more cars, rickshaws and freight vehicles on the main roads in Malibagh, Shantinagar, and Kakrail around 10 am Monday, reports bdnews24.com.
“How long can you stay cooped up inside? That’s why more people are out today,” said rickshaw driver Sohrab.
The ‘strict’ lockdown enforced by the government in the wake of an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths, is scheduled to end at midnight on Thursday.
“Our store was closed for 11 days during the lockdown,” said Anisur Rahman, the owner of a department store at the Shantinagar intersection. “We opened for the first time today. It has been extremely difficult for our finances. If everything stays closed, how will we eat? The government needs to ease the lockdown while enforcing health protocols in order to give our businesses a chance.”
As the store has been closed for so long, many of the items on sale have passed their expiration dates, causing difficulties for its bottom line, he said.
Police personnel could be seen monitoring traffic at intersections in Kakrail, Bijoynagar and Shantinagar. Cars, freight vehicles and rickshaws have been filled the road since the early morning.
“The way people are conducting themselves on the street is dangerous for us all,” said a government official who was on his way to the Tax Board in Shegun Bagicha. “Their masks are hanging off their necks. They’re crowding the roads, which helps transmit the disease. Despite all the government’s propaganda and public awareness efforts and all the restrictions – people are still violating the rules. We are headed for great danger.”
CNG-run autorickshaws had not been seen on Dhaka’s streets since the start of the lockdown, but they were present in the Shia Mosque area of Mohammadpur on Monday.
“We stayed home for ten days,” one of the autorickshaw drivers said. “How much longer? We are going on short trips. Police have not troubled us too much for the past few days so we decided to take passengers.
There were many more people and vehicles in the Mohammadpur, Katashur, Adabor and Ring Road areas than in the recent days.
Three-wheeler vans are selling fruit and vegetables in the alleys, just as they used to. The vendors and dry goods stores are filled with customers, none of whom are observing the proper protocols. Store owners say, however, that sales are lower than normal.
People lined up to buy necessities at subsidised prices from TCB trucks near the Mohammadpur Shia Mosque. Some have marked their place in line with shoes and bags and gone off to chat and gossip. No one is adhering to social distancing.
“People are buying take-out,” said Shihab Uddin, the owner of the Al Amin Restaurant in the Satmasjid area. “Many of them want dine-in services, even if we refuse. We allow a few to do so in the morning. About two tables. But we don’t allow any others to sit after 10 am. But how long can we go on like this? Everything’s running but the buses. Is there actually a lockdown?”
