Covid-19: Govt sets guidelines for cattle markets

The government has provided a set of guidelines to help curb virus transmission among buyers and sellers in cattle markets ahead of Eid-ul-Adha.

The Press Information Department (PID) issued an official notice on Tuesday regarding these guidelines.

According to the notice, the makeshift animal markets are to be set up following proper Covid-19 health and safety rules as well as other government directives issued in regards to animal market management.

Lessees of these markets must provide separate entry and exit points to the market aiding in the one-way movement of buyers throughout the venue.  

Market management must restrict or regulate the entrance of the elderly and children inside the venue as they are more vulnerable to contagious diseases like Covid-19, the notice said.

The market management must ensure that people present inside the venue maintain proper Covid-19 health and safety guidelines. Provisions of digital thermometers to check the body temperatures of incoming buyers, disinfectants and proper handwashing equipment must be present at the entrance of each market.

The notice also mentioned that these makeshift markets cannot be set up in places that create traffic congestion. If found, mobile courts will take necessary legal actions against those responsible.

The market management must ensure that buyers enter and exit the venue maintaining queues and maintaining proper social distance.

The notice also urged all concerned to promote and encourage buyers to buy sacrificial animals from the 241 digitals cattle markets (digital haats) set up throughout the nation through the government-owned online platform www.digitalhaat.net. This in turn will make buying and taking delivery of the sacrificial animals easy and also make the process contact-free.

Lastly, the notice said that sacrificial activities must be conducted in government pre-determined spaces and the authorities concerned must conduct proper waste management activities in these spaces within 24 hours of the activities.

Earlier on Monday, the two city corporations of Dhaka decided to open at least 19 temporary sacrificial animal markets across the capital to help citizens buy the sacrificial animals of their choice ahead of Eid-ul-Adha.

The markets are set to open for five days from 17 to 21 July. However, some markets are already seeing buyers and sellers coming in.

According to city corporation officials, 10 temporary cattle markets are set to open in different areas of the Dhaka South City Corporations (DSCC), and nine in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).