Third Day of ‘Stricter Lockdown’: Streets empty, kitchen markets crammed
Most of the streets and intersections in the capital were largely empty on the third day of the eight-day "strict lockdown" yesterday, but the kitchen markets and alleys were crowded with people.
Devotees thronged mosques to attend the first Juma prayers in the holy month of Ramadan.
Traffic was thinner on city streets yesterday than the previous two days as almost all government and private offices and factories remained closed on the weekend.
Visiting Mirpur, Pragati Sarani, Gulshan, Badda, Hatirjheel, Karwan Bazar, Jatrabari, Panthapath, Dhanmondi, and Mohammadpur areas, this correspondent found a small number of cars, auto-rickshaws and covered vans running on roads. There were some motorbikes and rickshaws also.
Policemen were checking vehicles, mostly cars, and ID cards of passengers at check posts and asking why they came out of home.
At Karwan Bazar, police made announcements from loudspeakers asking people not to move on roads without an urgency.
At Mirpur-10 intersection, cops were asking drivers to show movement passes.
Policemen there stopped a car from Rajshahi and asked its driver to show movement pass.
The driver, Ariful Islam, said he was not aware of the movement pass. "I brought my 'sir' to Dhaka from Rajshahi on Thursday night. I am now going back to Rajshahi. I don't know about the movement pass."
The driver was seen trying to contact his employer over the phone to inform him about the situation.
Although the ride-sharing apps did not provide services, many bikers were seen calling people in Karwan Bazar, Farmgate and Natun Bazar areas to take a ride.
Some human hauliers were seen operating on Bhasantek-Bauniabadh route.
People who went out of home to perform urgent works had to face trouble to reach their destinations as rickshaws and auto-rickshaws were charging them much higher fares than usual.
Police carried out duties mainly on the major streets. As a result, some shops other than groceries and pharmacies in the alleys were found open. Many people were seen walking in alleys without wearing masks.
In Signboard area of Jatrabari, many people were seen leaving the capital in the morning as there was no police check post.
Traders at the kitchen markets said they saw large crowds in the morning. People opted to visit markets before 12:30pm as the shopping time would end at 3:00pm with a break for Juma prayers, they added.
The town hall market in Mohammadpur was crowded with shoppers from morning till about 1:00pm. Physical distancing was maintained at the market.
Most of the shoppers were wearing masks at the kitchen markets in Shewrapara, Kazipara and Mirpur. Some salesmen who were not putting on masks said it was difficult for them to breathe and talk with customers while wearing a mask.
The overall "strict lockdown" situation was almost similar in many other cities, Chattogram, Sylhet and Barisal.
Mosques in the capital were crowded with devotees yesterday as they offered the first Juma prayers in the holy month of Ramadan.
Several mosques in Mohammadpur, Panthapath, Kalabagan and Farmgate areas did not follow the instructions given by the religious affairs ministry regarding maintaining health rules.
With no space left inside the Shaheed Park Central Jame Mosque adjacent to the Town Hall Bazzar in Mohammadpur, many people were seen offering Juma prayers outside.
Although the imam of the mosque requested devotees through loudspeakers to offer prayers following health rules, the situation there was not in favour of maintaining the guidelines.
The situation at Allah Karim Jame Mosque, Baitus Sujud Jame Mosque, and Baitur Rahman Jame Mosque in Mohammadpur was almost the same.
The religious affairs ministry on April 12 instructed that a maximum of 20 people, including the khatib, imam, hafez, muezzin and khadim, can attend Tarabi prayers at a mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. It also said people can attend Juma prayers maintaining social distancing and hygiene rules.
The local administration, law enforcement agencies, Islamic Foundation officials and the management committee of the mosques concerned were requested to implement the guidelines.
However, no such efforts by the authorities concerned were seen yesterday.
Meanwhile, police have issued 421,789 movement passes until 7:00pm yesterday, according to data of the Police Headquarters.
The number of total registrations with the "movement pass" app stood at 5,86,745 till yesterday evening.
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