Public transport to remain shut from Monday: Quader

Public transport will remain shut from Monday, said road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader.

The minister said this in a regular briefing on Sunday.

However, goods transportation, transports of emergency service organisations, transport carrying fuel, medicine, aid, media and apparel products will remain outside of the purview of this order, he added.

The government has taken a decision to impose a countrywide seven-day lockdown from Monday as the number of infections and deaths in novel coronavirus has suddenly spiked in the country.

Public health experts were suggesting the government to take tougher measures to curb the rising trend of Covid-19 in Bangladesh.

In this context, Obaidul Quader, also general secretary to ruling Awami League, suddenly said in a video message on Saturday that the coronavirus infection is rising steeply. That’s why the government has taken the decision to impose one-week lockdown across the country from Monday.

Earlier on Thursday, the national technical advisory committee on Covid-19 proposed the government to take several steps including shutting community ans social event centres and amusement parks.

On 29 March, the Prime Minister’s Office issued 18-point directives that said except organisations delivering emergency services, all government and private offices, establishments, factories have to be run with 50 per cent of manpower.

It also asked to restrict all types of social, political and religious gatherings, following health guidelines in all places of worship and run public transport with 50 per cent of passenger capacity.

On 3 April, state minister for public administration Farhad Hossain has said that the establishments and shops that are required to provide emergency services during the lockdown will remain open.

He also said that said except the emergency services, industrial factories will also remain open. The workers at the factories maintaining health guidelines.

Trains, river transport and domestic flights also will remain shut in that time.

Bangladesh detected first coronavirus patient on 8 March last year and recorded first death on 18 March that year. Later, the government announced general holiday on 23 March that year. Though the general holiday was announced from 26 March to 4 April first, it extended was for more than once until 30 May. The general holiday was enforced for a total of 66 days that year.

The government kept all kinds of offices, including courts, industrial factories and educational institutions and public transport shut that time. People used the term ‘lockdown’ to describe the situation though the government did not use the term ‘lockdown’ officially.

Locality-based lockdown was also enforced alongside general holiday in Tolarbagh, Rajarbagh and Wari areas of Dhaka then. After 66 days of general holiday, the government opened offices from 31 May in 2020.

But the government said, the lockdown would be enforced strongly this time around.