The ongoing seven-day lax lockdown enforced to tackle the transmission of coronavirus, will end tomorrow, Sunday. The government has now announced that a strict lockdown will come into effect from 14 April due to the spike in corona cases and deaths.
The question now is, what will happen on 12 and 13 April? Will public transport operate in the entire country on those two days? Will there be no restrictions at all? The government has not taken any decision in this regard as yet.
The government and public health experts feel that if things are normal on these two days, then thousands of people will flock to the villages before the strict lockdown. This may cause the rate of infections to shoot up further. That is why they want to take a speedy decision about these two days.
Secretary general of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, Khandkar Enayet Ullah, told Prothom Alo that no decision has been taken about transport movement on 12 and 13 April. Whatever decision the government takes will be followed.
According to the cabinet division and the public administration ministry, a meeting is likely to be held on Sunday to take a decision in this regard.
State minister for public administration, Farhad Hossain, told Prothom Alo on Saturday that discussions are on about what will happen on 12 and 13 April. The decision will be made public on Sunday. Efforts are on to prevent an increase in infections.
Sources in the public administration ministry have said that the prevailing restrictions are likely to be extended till 13 April.
A countrywide lockdown has been enforced since 5 April to tackle the spread of coronavirus. However, this is not officially being dubbed as a ‘lockdown’, but as restrictions on movement and work. Other than long-distance public transport, almost everything is operating. Public transport is running in the city corporation areas, while shops and shopping malls are open from 9:00am till 5:00pm. Factories, government offices and private offices all remain open.
Such a lax lockdown cannot control the spread of coronavirus and deaths. The upward trend in transmission continues. Over the past 24 hours, the country saw 77 corona deaths, the highest so far. And 5,343 new cases were detected, according to Saturday’s news bulletin of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Sources in the health ministry have said that if the present state of coronavirus transmission continues for a few more weeks, the health system may break down. Corona patients may not be able to avail minimum treatment. As it is, the hospitals are bursting at the seams with patients.
Awami League general secretary and minister for road transport and bridges, Obaidul Quader, on Friday said that coronavirus has taken on alarming proportions in the country and the number of cases and deaths was increasing in leaps and bounds. Under the circumstances, the government is actively considering an all-out week-long lockdown from 14 April.
Obaidul Quader did not elaborate what an all-out lockdown would entail. Speaking to Prothom Alo in this regard, state minister for public administration Farhad Hossain said, “By ‘all-out’ lockdown, the idea is that nothing will operate other than essential services. The present laxity in certain cases will perhaps not be shown then.”
The main cause of concern now is what will happen on Monday and Tuesday.
A senior official of the cabinet division on Saturday told Prothom Alo, a virtual meeting in this regard will be held at 3:00pm tomorrow and the next decision will be taken then.
Meanwhile, though a week’s lockdown has been declared so far, the national technical advisory committee for Covid-19 has said that without a minimum two-week strict lockdown, the spread of the virus cannot be brought under control. That is why they have recommended a full lockdown for two weeks in the city corporation ad municipal areas.
Head of the committee, Mohammad Shahidullah, told Prothom Alo, as the restrictions imposed a few days ago are not being heeded, the committee feels that if there is an all-out lockdown in the city and municipal areas, this may yield effective results in controlling the present increase in corona cases and deaths. After that, the situation can be reviewed and the restrictions enforced to prevent the spread of coronavirus and ensure people’s livelihood.
Even though the government had spoken of one week’s lockdown, he hoped that this would be extended further. However, this was not a matter of government concern. The people would also have to come forward. The people would have to be conscious.
This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir