Lockdown helped in East Rajabazar

The two-week lockdown of East Rajabazar has resulted in reduced number of cases of Covid-19 transmission.

Ayesha Akhter, an assistant director of the Directorate General of Health Service, said infections among people in East Rajabazar have reduced after enforcement of lockdown there.

She urged all to follow the guidelines for preventing coronavirus infections.

Faridur Rahman Khan Iran, councillor of ward-27 of Dhaka North City Corporation, told The Daily Star yesterday, "There were 31 infected people when the area was locked down on June 10 … Hundreds of people might have been infected by them but that did not happen."

"Only 19 people were reported infected a couple of days after the lockdown was enforced. They were actually infected before the lockdown and detected later. Nobody got infected since then, as far as we know," he said.

At least 35 of the total 50 recovered and the rest were doing fine, he said.

Faridur said samples of nearly 230 people had been collected for Covid-19 tests and that some results were yet to be delivered.

This correspondent spoke to nearly a dozen people who live inside the locked down area.

Rakibul Hasan, a resident of East Rajabazar, said, "People did not care much [about social distancing] during the countrywide shutdown and moved freely on the streets. But after the lockdown, people stopped going out and maintained social and physical distancing."

"I hardly see anyone on the streets without a mask now. That can be a reason for fewer infections," he said.

East Rajabazar, with about 50,000 residents, was categorised as "red zone" and put under experimental lockdown on June 10. All shops inside the area were closed. A day after the lockdown began, a man of East Rajabazar died from Covid-19 at a city hospital.

After two weeks, the authorities on Tuesday extended the lockdown for another week. Some inhabitants staged demonstrations protesting the extension.

Many residents said people from poor families and those working in informal sectors were bearing the brunt of the lockdown despite the help from police and volunteers.

Many lost sources of their incomes and were facing acute financial problems.

Some alleged that the designated sellers of groceries allowed inside the area were charging exuberantly, worsening the situation.

A 50-year-old woman said, "I went to buy some shrimps. A fishmonger wanted Tk 850 a kg for something that is worth Tk 600 at best." She returned without the shrimps.

The woman used to run a tailoring shop at her house and her husband and elder son were professional drivers before the pandemic.

"We are now jobless. My husband and son cannot go out to drive as the area is locked down ... We are in acute financial problems," she said, preferring anonymity.

"Our house rent is Tk 18,000. We are now thinking about moving to a cheaper house. But we cannot move because of the lockdown," she said.

She said she received five kg of rice, one kg of potato, half a kg of lentil, and one kg of onion as aid after enforcement of the lockdown.

Grocer Suman said he was losing money as he was not allowed to open his shop, but people from outside the neighbourhood were selling goods in East Rajabazar.

"It will be better if we are allowed to sell the items available in our shops," he said.

Masud Hossain, zonal executive officer of zone-5 of DNCC, claimed that they had received some reports of issues relating to high prices of essentials inside the locked down area, but the sellers were now selling products at market price.

He said people were tired of the lockdown.

"We are getting calls urging the end of the lockdown."