Everything to stay shut except emergency services, factories

Nobody will be allowed to go out except for emergencies during the countrywide "strict" lockdown to be put in force from 14 April at 6am to 21 April midnight.

All government, semi-government, autonomous, financial and private offices will remain closed; public transports will remain suspended; and markets and shopping centres will remain shuttered during the seven days of strict restrictions.

Nonetheless, sales of everyday essentials will be allowed in open spaces from 9am to 3pm and export-oriented factories will be allowed to remain open maintaining health guidelines and complying with a few other conditions.

The Cabinet Division on Monday issued a gazette notification, detailing the restrictions aimed at curbing the sharp rise in Covid-19 infections and fatalities.

"All government, semi-government, autonomous, financial and private offices will remain closed and all employees and officials have to stay at their duty stations during the lockdown," says the gazette notification.

All modes of inland transportation including road, rail and river, and international flight operations will remain suspended. But cargo transportation, manufacturing and emergency services will remain out of the restriction.

Shopping malls and shops will remain closed but commodities and other essentials can be sold in open spaces from 9am to 3pm, maintaining health guidelines, the gazette notification says, adding that hotels and restaurants will be allowed to remain open from noon to 7pm and midnight to 6am only for takeaway and online services.

Factories and industries will remain open under their authorities' arrangement, maintaining health safety guidelines, but the authorities must ensure transport services for their workers, says the gazette.

Unless there is an emergency, such as medicine and essentials purchase, medical treatment, burial or funeral, no one will be allowed to go outside of home. Vaccine recipients will be allowed to go out to take the jab but they must show vaccine cards.

Farhad Hossain, state minister for Public Administration, told The Business Standard that ministry and division secretaries have been instructed to implement the strict lockdown.

He further added that district and field administrations throughout the country also have been asked to take effective measures to this end. Law enforcement agencies will conduct regular patrols to ensure governments directives.

According to the directives of the gazette notifications, ministries and divisions are allowed to issue supplementary instructions to make sure that the lockdown instructions are enforced completely.

Meanwhile, the religious affairs ministry on Monday issued a notification saying a maximum of 20 people will be allowed to take part in everyday prayers, including taraweeh, at mosques.

It also asked devotee Muslims to take part in jummah prayers maintaining physical distancing and health guidelines and sought cooperation from law enforcement agencies, officials of Islamic Foundation and mosque managing committees to enforce the instructions.

Industry leaders are yet to set guidelines to run factories during the lockdown. Mohammad Hatem, vice president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said, "We will provide our members with guidelines regarding factory operation abiding by the health rules."

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has already decided to suspend all international flights for a week from 14 April. However, no restriction will be imposed on the movement of chartered flights, cargo flights and special flights carrying high commissioners of different countries and foreign nationals, said Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman, chairman of CAAB.

Police said they will be strict in enforcing the second weeklong lockdown.

There will be checkpoints in areas under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). Each DMP station will have its own mobile court to check the violation of the stay-at-home order. Besides, entry and exit to and from the capital will be controlled strictly, said police.

Bangladesh saw a 10-day general holiday starting from 26 March last year in the first phase during the early stage of Covid surge in the country. The holiday was later extended to 66 days in several phases.

Almost everything, except for emergency services, was closed initially but some sectors, including export-oriented industries, were later allowed to reopen.

Last week, the government declared a seven-day lockdown that has been extended by two days, but it is being implemented half-heartedly.