Eid holidaymakers on river routes ignore mask rules

Eid vacationers travelling by launch from the southern region are largely ignoring the government's health guidelines, with authorities failing to enforce even basic measures like wearing masks.

Inspections at the river ports of Bhola and Barishal today found passengers arriving in large numbers—without masks and with no sign of any active monitoring by officials.

At Bhola's Ilisha terminal, around 20,000 people disembarked from 12 launches—six each from Dhaka and Lakshmipur.

The crowd swelled throughout the day, yet no passengers were seen wearing masks.

Nahid Islam, a private employee heading back to Dhaka, said, "We weren't told about any rules. I had no idea there were health instructions."

Firoza Begum, a garment worker arriving from Dhaka, said she had delayed her travel to avoid the Eid rush.

"No one mentioned wearing masks. I didn't even know there's a new Covid-19 variant," she said.

Bhola River Port Officer Md Riyad Hossain said nearly 200,000 people had travelled to Bhola for Eid-ul-Azha and were now returning.

"We received instructions to ensure health protocols, but other than making announcements on loudspeakers, we haven't been able to do much," he said.

No active awareness campaigns by Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) or launch authorities were observed at the terminals.

Similar scenes played out in Barishal, where passengers also arrived without masks.

A local port official confirmed receiving the directive but said he was on leave and could not comment on enforcement.

Barishal General Hospital had no isolation arrangements or testing facilities in place.

Dr Shyamal Krishna Mondal, director of divisional health services, said, "We instructed returnees to follow health rules, but since the notice came right before Eid, it wasn't effectively implemented. Many officials were also on leave."

He said none of the division's 40 health centres can currently conduct Covid-19 tests.

"We've informed higher authorities to fast-track test kit supplies. Isolation units will be activated immediately if cases are found," said Shyamal.