Bangladesh to tighten restriction over COVID-19 until 30 Jun

The government on Monday issued an order tightening restrictions on public activities and movements across the country until 30 June to check spread of COVID-19 pandemic as an existing nationwide control measure of identical nature is set to expire this evening.

The cabinet division order introduced for the first time a zoning system based on coronavirus prevalence in certain areas as “red, yellow and green” saying all offices in particular spots of red zones would remain under general holiday.

“The government has decided to extend the period of restrictions on overall activities of the country and people’s movement after 15 June conditionally for checking spread of COVID-19 and improving the situation,” read the cabinet division order containing 18 directives.

Officials familiar with the process said health authorities in collaboration with city corporations or municipal bodies, local administrative authorities and law enforcement agencies would chalk up detailed plans to enforce the restrictions particularly in red and yellow zones and allow limited urgent or emergency activities, formulating a standard operating procedure (SOP).

1. The restriction will remain effective from 16 June to 30 June which it will include weekends.

2. Everyone must stay indoors from 8:00pm to 6:00am except emergency cases (necessary shopping, traveling to workplaces, buying medicines, rendering health services and funeral activities). Health guidelines, including using face masks, must be maintained all times during moving around. Otherwise legal action will be taken against those who will violate the order.

3. During the period, common people as well as all authorities must strictly follow the directives issued by the Health Services Division.

4. Everybody will have to strictly abide by the health directives, including maintenance of physical distancing in bazaars, hats, shops and shopping malls. The shopping malls must keep arrangements of materials including sanitisers for hand washing. They must as well keep arrangements for disinfecting cars and vesicles coming to the shopping malls. The hats, bazaars and shopping malls must be shuttered mandatorily by 4:00pm.

5. Agencies engaged in law enforcement, ensuring state security and operating intelligence activities and carrying out emergency services like relief distribution, health services, electricity, water, gas and other energy related services, fire service, ports (land ports, river ports and sea ports), telephone and internet services, postal services and offices related to essential goods and services will remain beyond the purview of the restrictions along with their employees and vehicles.

6. Movement of all kinds of vehicle (trucks, lorries and cargo vessels) engaged in transporting commodities through highways and river routes will continue.

7. The restriction will not be applicable for agriculture products, fertilisers, pesticides, foods, industrial products, goods of state operated projects, kitchen markets, pharmacies, hospitals and emergency services and the people related to the services.

8. Physicians, nurses and health service providers engaged in medical services, vehicles and people engaged in transporting medical equipment, including medicines, and people engaged in mass media (print and electronic) and cable TV networks will remain out of the purview of the restriction.

9. All factory authorities, including medicine industry, agriculture and production and export-oriented industries, could keep open their factories ensuring safety and healthcare facilities for the workers. They will have to ensure the application of health regulations for factories announced by the Health Services Department.

10. No educational institution would be allowed to remain open during the restriction. However, online courses or distance learning courses will continue.

11. Bangladesh Bank will issue necessary instructions on keeping open the region-based controlled banking system.

12. Public transport, passenger vessels, trains and airplanes could operate their services in a limited scale with limited number of passengers in approved regions. But maintenance of health guidelines, including use of protective masks, announced by the health services division must be ensured at all times.

13. All kind of rallies, meetings, mass gathering and any functions will remain stopped during the restriction while the people could offer their prayers at mosques and other places of worship maintaining the guidelines issued by the religious affairs ministry and the health guidelines.

14. Concerned authorities can control strictly people’s movement and lifestyle strictly at district, upazila, area, neighbourhood and household levels in line with Bangladesh Risk Zone-Based Containment Implementation Strategy Guide prepared by health department under the Infectious Disease (Prevention, Control and Elimination) Act 2018, demarcating areas as red, yellow and green zones. However, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will have to be formulated for testing COVID-19 cases, running COVID and Non-COVID health service protocol, quarantine, isolation, ambulance services, public movement and vehicular movement, alongside operating economic institutions/industrial institutions/commercial institutions, foods and medicine supplies, humanitarian assistances to poor people, performing religious rituals at mosques, temples and other places of worships, creating public awareness, maintaining law and order and banking facilities at each zone. Concerned ministries or divisions will take necessary steps in this regard.

15. City corporations will be responsible for overall implementation of the region-based restriction activities in their respective areas of jurisdiction. In areas outside the city corporation, district administrations will coordinate the overall activities. Local government institutions, district/upazila administrations, health division, law enforcement agencies will deliver their services in this regard ensuring coordination among themselves. Honourable lawmakers, other public representatives, political leaders, volunteers and others concerned will have to be involved in enforcing the directives.

16. Civil or military, government, semi-government, autonomous, semi- autonomous or non-government offices in red zones and officials and employees of the aforesaid offices living there will be under the purview of the general holiday. Public administration ministry will take necessary steps in this regard.

17. All government, semi-government, autonomous and non-government offices in the green zone will remain open in a limited scale under their own management. None could leave his/her workplaces (stations) during the restriction. But vulnerable people, sick employees and pregnant women will refrain from attending offices.

Officials and staff must strictly abide by the 12-point directives issued by the health services division during discharge of their duties at offices.

All meetings would be held through virtual media debarring physical presence of people in such conferences unless the situation demanded so in extraordinary cases.

18. The cabinet division will coordinate the zone related matters in line with the request of the health services division.