Hygiene rules, social distancing ignored in Ctg, Gazipur, Rangpur

Though the government has imposed a seven-day lockdown amid the worsening Covid-19 situation across the country, people were seen breaching rules almost everywhere in public places.
 
Besides, hygiene rules are being ignored in vehicles. 
 
Amid infection fear, people are coming out from the houses for their work risking lives and their suffering is on rise following suspension of public transport on roads and highways. 

 
Though it was supposed that lockdown would be effective from Monday, the administration did not show much interest in implementing the lockdown in the port city of Chattogram.
 
Long-distance transport remains suspended but public transports with extra passengers are running like before in the port city.
 
Although the shopping malls are closed, other shops and markets are open.
 
A total 23 teams led by the executive magistrate have been deployed in the city and 30 more teams in different upazilas outside the metropolitan city, Deputy Commissioner Mominur Rahman said on Sunday after lockdown announcement.
 
But since Monday morning, the district administration or law enforcers have not been seen in any points of the city. The DC was unreachable when attempts were made to contact him over phone.
 
Kaptai is one of the entrances to the city. Thousands of people were entering the city around 9 am riding on CNG auto rickshaws, minibuses and human haulers from different upazilas.
 
Many are leaving the city with their families. At that time, people were not also found to be following the hygiene rules in the vehicles.
 
Visiting in the Bahaddarhat area of the city at 9.30 am, it was seen that hundreds of people were waiting for public transports on the roads. A huge crowd was found inside the vehicles. Some buses have also been seen carrying passengers with tag 'staff buses' or 'reserve'.
 
Besides, the passengers were found wearing masks improperly. Someone's mask is hanging on his chin, someone is carrying it in hand. Along with this, social distancing is being also ignored everywhere. 
 
While sharing the experience with The Business Standard, NRB Global Bank Agrabad branch officer Shakhoyat Hossain, who lives in the Chandgaon residential area of the city, said that "I use Prabhati Metro all the time for going to the office. I need to reach the office before 10, but there is no environment to get in the vehicle."
 
"I have been waiting for the vehicle at Bahaddarhat since 8 am. No vehicle is following the hygiene rules. Even though the fare is double, passengers are being taken in large numbers," he added.
 
In Gazipur, various shops and shopping malls were closed since morning and all types of public transport including long distance vehicles were suspended.
 
However, rickshaws, auto-rickshaws and minibuses were seen plying on the highways.
 
Office-going people, including garment workers, have suffered a lot due to public transport crisis.
 
At least 2,000 ready-made garment factories are open in the industrial city of Gazipur.
 
Although it was supposed that workers will be brought to factories with its own transport, most of the owners of the ready-made garment industry are not complying with it.
 
As a result, the workers are going to the factory on foot, rickshaws and auto-rickshaws.
 
In this case, many workers do not have a mask on their face, they are not obeying the social distancing rules too.
 
Meanwhile, public transport and ride-sharing are closed, but private-leased motorbikes are plying on various routes. Although several minibuses including Taqwa Paribahan are plying on Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways, they are not following the hygiene rules.
 
Working people of different professions were found crowding at different points of the city for going to the workplace.
 
In Rangpur, there is no impact of the government announced lockdown. Though the shopping malls and markets were closed, working people were found gathering in the Shapla Chattar area in search of work.
 
Medium and small vehicles are running in the city as before without the suspension of long-distance vehicles. Besides, the movement of the people is the same as before.
 
Indifference in following hygiene rules has been seen among the people who have come out of the lockdown.
 
The government enforced 7-day lockdown from 5 April morning to 11 April midnight to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.