Lockdown enters day 2 amid public apathy
Lockdown Day 2: Almost all the COVID-19 testing centers of the capital saw the huge line before them on the second day of lockdown. However, Individuals were reluctant to abide by health guidelines. Photo: UNB
The week-long lockdown in Bangladesh entered the next day on Tuesday with an evergrowing public apathy to it as a sizable number of private vehicles, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws started plying metropolis streets and persons moving freely ignoring the risks of Covid-19 transmission.
However, public transports went off the roads while shops remained shut in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country.
Office-goers endured sufferings to attain their destinations because they did the previous day.
Alongside private cars, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws, microbus and CNG-run auto-rickshaws and several ride-sharing services were seen operating in the capital as usual.
Stores are closed as per the government instruction but shops were found open in lots of areas.
Visiting many city areas, the UNB correspondent identified shops in lanes and by-lanes open regardless of the lockdown.
Members of police agencies were seen at many things providing masks to those moving without masks ignoring medical guidelines.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has taken the initiative to distribute masks to improve awareness among people, said Iftekharul Islam, additional deputy commissioner of police (media).
The tips include Jatrabari intersection, Kaptan Bazar, Shapla Chattar, Uttar Badda Bazar and Khalpar regions of the city.
Protests, attacks marked first day lockdown
Bangladesh passed the first day of its weeklong lockdown on Monday with stray incidents of protest and attacks.
Hundreds of shop owners and staff demonstrated found in New Market area on Monday, demanding the federal government allow them to operate for several hours every day during the lockdown.
Besides, several offices and houses were vandalised and set on fire by locals found in Saltha Upazila of Faridpur district on Monday night after a man was injured within an apparently unprovoked attack by a public servant.
The Upazila Parishad, residence of Upazila Nirbahi Officer, police station, office of Assistant Commissioner (area), upazila agriculture office, and sub-registry office, amongst others, were vandalised plus some were torched.
It's the first official lockdown found in Bangladesh to tackle the deadly coronavirus.
On March 26 this past year, the government had declared standard holidays plus a transport shutdown rather than enforcing lockdown as the united states was witnessing the surge in coronavirus transmission.
As the country has been having record-breaking Covid cases for recent days, the federal government on Sunday announced to impose a weeklong countrywide lockdown.
Covid surge in Bangladesh
Bangladesh recorded a lot more than 7,000 fresh coronavirus cases for the next day found in a row Monday, due to the country is fighting the rising number of infections during its second wave.
Health authorities recorded 7,075 fresh Covid-19 cases in 24 hours till Monday morning. And with 52 latest deaths during the period, the coronavirus fatalities rose to 9,318. The mortality rate, however, remained static at 1.45 percent.
Bangladesh has up to now recorded 644,439 coronavirus cases, in line with the Directorate Basic of Health Services (DGHS).
