Less cars, crowds on Dhaka streets

Compared to previous days, roads of the capital were relatively quiet on Friday – the 16th day of the countrywide "strictest lockdown" – since it was a weekend.

People who came out were reluctant to follow virus safety guidelines as usual. They thronged kitchen markets to buy vegetables and fishes completely ignoring the social distancing.

Many of them did not even have their face covered with a face mask as the country has been experiencing the worst brutal surge in Covid deaths since the virus outbreak started in Bangladesh one-and-a-half years ago.

Around 1,000 Covid patients died just in the last four days.    

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 239 people Friday for going outdoors without a valid reason. Besides, 74 individuals and organisations were fined a total of Tk90,410 by mobile courts for flouting the virus curbs.

On top of this, DMP traffic division logged cases against 295 cars and realised around Tk6.99 lakh in fines.

This correspondent visited Hatirpool, Kathalbagan and Karwan Bazar kitchen markets on Friday and found social distancing was almost lost in the crowds. Some of the customers put on face masks while most of the vendors had their faces uncovered.  

Many lowered the masks to their chin as all of them had their excuses ready for not covering their faces. A feeling of suffocation, sweat and hot weather were some of the excuses people gave for not wearing a mask.

"I cannot put on a mask all the time. It feels suffocating," said fish vendor Mohammad Shamim at Karwan Bazar.

His customer Fahim, however, had a different excuse. He said, "With the face covered, it is difficult to talk and bargain. So, I took it off."

Karwan Bazar rice traders were passing an idle time Friday though the vegetable sales at the kitchen market saw a good customer turnout.  

"People bought rice before the lockdown. Therefore, the customer turnout is low here," said rice trader Moinuddin Mallick. 

At Hatirpool, vegetable vendor Delwar said, "It is not possible to follow the health guidelines as the government instructs. There was a crowd in the morning since it is a weekend, and both the customers and the vendors could not maintain the social distancing."

Despite the movement curbs ban dining at restaurants, people had been having their meals at Karwan Bazar, Banglamotor and Moghbazar eateries. The restaurant staff were in front of the shops with the shutters half-closed to guard the customers from a sudden police raid.    

After Eid celebration in the third week of July, the government imposed a "strictest lockdown" from 23 July to 5 August. In the face of runaway infections, the curbs were later extended to 10 August.

There were some contractual ride-sharing motorcycles and rickshaws in Dhaka roads Friday, but the number was far less compared to previous days.

Weekend crowds, mostly teenagers, flocked at Hatirjheel in the afternoon, and had been hanging out in groups. 

"It is boring to be at home all the time," said college student Noor Mohammad, who came to the spot with his 15 friends.  

Public health expert Dr Lelin Chowdhury believes issuing the virus curbs would not yield the desired outputs unless the government strengthens monitoring to ensure people wear face masks and maintain virus safety guidelines. Besides, the citizens should be aware of the infection too.

"People have been demonstrating gross negligence to mask and health guidelines, which eventually will make the already deteriorating virus situation worse," he issued a note of caution.