Bangladesh

Peril mounts for government as more people flout Covid-19 norms during ongoing 'hard' lockdown Hard Lockdown
Collected People flouting restrictions in Dhaka

Peril mounts for government as more people flout Covid-19 norms during ongoing 'hard' lockdown

Bangladesh Live News | @banglalivenews | 03 Aug 2021, 09:58 am

Dhaka, August 3: Even with more people succumbing to the deadly coronavirus with each passing day, people are simply not ready to listen to and follow the Covid-19 health guidelines set by the government. The country, presently undergoing a supposed hard lockdown, is already witnessing a wane in caution from citizens, who prefer venturing out and risking it all rather than staying indoors and help frontline workers thwart the looming catastrophe.

Meanwhile, on the eleventh day of the lockdown on Monday, the police were put in a spot as crowds of people took to the streets.

The government has opened export-oriented industries within 10 days of the 14-day hard lockdown. Now the owners and workers have demanded the opening of shops, restaurants and public transport. After the end of the ongoing lockdown on August 5, no one wants to comply with the restrictions.

But the coronavirus infection situation has not come under control. On the contrary, the situation is deteriorating day by day. Every day, around 250 people are dying due to Covid-19, while 15,000 (approximately) are getting infected. In this situation, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has recommended extending the lockdown for another 10 days, after August 5.

The government kept buses running from Saturday night to Sunday night and launches till noon on Monday to bring the workers of export-oriented industries back to work.

The government has been trying to control the coronavirus infection situation in the country for months by imposing restrictions in phases. Restrictions were relaxed for eight days ahead of Eid al-Adha. Then again it was imposed for 14 days from 6 am on July 23. The lockdown will end at midnight on August 5.

All types of public transport, government and private offices are closed due to restrictions. All types of industries are closed except for food production-processing, leather transport-preservation and pharmaceutical sectors. However, the export-oriented factories have been opened since August 1. Shops and shopping malls are closed. It is also forbidden for people to go out without urgent need.

Speaking about the issue, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain said, "Everyone would want to raise their voice and that is normal. But the government will decide what is better for the people. We need to prioritise the control on coronavirus infections."

"Thousands of people work in export-oriented industries. There are foreign buyers, these orders will go to other countries if our industry is closed. Our economy will suffer. That's why it had to be opened. The reality of each person is different, you have to think about it. The reality is that we are dealing with coronavirus," the minister added.