Virus curbs in disarray
With Eid barely two weeks away, government ministries are at odds with Covid-19 containment strategies for the holidays, which experts say could worsen the situation.
The health ministry asked the home ministry not to let people leave Dhaka and three other major cities ahead of the three-day holiday but the government decided to allow all public transport to operate maintaining health safety guidelines.
Experts, however, said if the public transport was allowed to run, thousands of people were likely to leave the cities to spend Eid with their loved ones, increasing virus transmission risk.
Health safety and social distancing guidelines could be flouted during the rush, they said, adding that the government had previously failed to implement those strictly.
Around 80 lakh holidaymakers usually leave Dhaka alone ahead of Eids, according to estimates of different passengers' welfare organisations.
Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chattogram are the other cities from which a huge number of people head home.
Following the recommendations of National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) on Covid-19, the Health Services Division wrote to the home ministry on Wednesday asking for necessary steps so that no one can go to other districts from Dhaka, Chattogram, Gazipur, and Narayanganj during the holidays.
The cities are the worst affected by the coronavirus.
It also wrote to the LGRD ministry to take steps so that no cattle market is set up in these four cities and encourage people to buy sacrificial animals online.
It wrote letters to senior secretaries of the Public Safety Division and Local Government Division following the recommendations chalked up in the NTAC's 14th meeting last week.
The Health Services Division issued the letters when the Covid-19 positivity rate was the highest ever despite decline in testing, which indicates rising community transmission. At least 196,323 have been infected and almost 2,500 people have died in Bangladesh from Covid-19.
CONTRADICTIONS, CHANGING MINDS
Signed by the Health Services Division Deputy Secretary Samima Nasrin, the letter to the Public Safety Division read, " … you are requested to take steps to stop people's movement from these cities to other areas." It said the recommendations were made to curb the virus spread.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader in a video message yesterday said, "I want to clarify that public transport would be operated during Eid-ul-Azha holidays."
Goods-laden vehicles, except those of emergency services, carrying drugs, cattle, and garment products, would remain off the roads from three days ahead of Eid, he said.
The general secretary of Awami League urged all to follow the health safety guidelines properly.
However, there are signs that the government changed its mind about the matter.
Sources at the road transport ministry said the Cabinet Division on July 13 wrote to ministries concerned asking for steps to suspend operation of public transport for five days prior and three days following the Eid.
The ministry the following day asked the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to take necessary steps in this regard.
"But, we have now been verbally asked to stop the move," a top BRTA official told The Daily Star on Wednesday.
State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury on Wednesday told a meeting that public transport would remain suspended for nine days in total, before and after the Eid.
He later said only the movement of goods-carrying vehicles would be suspended.
This has been the norm for quite a few years.
Prof Muzaherul Huq, former Southeast Asia regional director of World Health Organisation, said running public transport does not go with the containment policy of Covid-19 transmission.
"It's wise to stop the operation of public transport until Covid-19 is contained and the number of infections is reduced substantially.
"Public transport should be suspended in the present Covid-19 situation, not just during the Eid rush," he told The Daily Star yesterday.
He said the government had failed to maintain, monitor, and supervise health safety guidelines in public transport on previous occasions.
Ignoring the government advice to stay home, people in droves left Dhaka for their village homes days before Eid-ul-Fitr.
Experts had then said it had increased the risk of virus transmission across the country.
After the enforcement of a countrywide shutdown on March 26, operations of public transport resumed from May 31 on a limited scale. Buses and trains were asked to run at half capacity.
But there are allegations that bus and launch operators violated their guidelines.
CATTLE MARKETS
Citing NTAC's recommendations, the Health Services Division letter to the Local Government Division suggested not setting up any cattle market in Dhaka, Chattogram, Narayanganj and Gazipur cities.
It recommended not setting up such markets inside other towns as well and choosing open spaces for market sites so that social distancing could be ensured.
The NTAC also suggested not allowing the elderly or the sick into the markets.
It wanted separate entries and exits for the markets and a fixed place for sacrificing the animals.
However, as of Tuesday, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) approved five cattle markets inside the capital. DSCC officials said they had not received any official word about the matter.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has issued work orders for three cattle markets while three others are already being made. The markets were, however, on the fringes of the city.
Prof Muzaherul said there should not be any gatherings, especially at cattle markets, inside red zones, or where the transmission rate is high.
"Cattle markets will obviously increase the risk of more transmissions and thus, there should not be any cattle market inside Covid-19 hotspots," he said. He suggested the authorities encourage people to buy online.
Infectious diseases specialist Prof Ridwanur Rahman echoed the views of Prof Muzaherul.
"When the number of infections is increasing in an uncontrolled manner, such a decision [allowing public transport and cattle markets] will surely increase the risk of further transmission. It's like rubbing salt into the wound," he told The Daily Star yesterday.
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