Violation of restrictions continues

People crowded kitchen markets and mosques in the city and elsewhere of the country on Friday, the third day of the eight-day nationwide shutdown to control the surge of coronavirus infections.

Witnesses said that a huge number of people went to the kitchen markets where there has always been space constraint and as the city corporations failed to relocate them to open spaces, people went about their businesses without maintaining social distancing.

On the third day of Ramadan, hundreds of people also gathered to buy iftar items in various places of the city.

Earlier at noon, hundreds of worshippers crowded in the mosques in Dhaka and elsewhere in the capital to perform Jumma prayer violating the government’s directive to limit the number at 20.

Since the morning, the public movement was limited on the main thoroughfares of the city as no public vehicle was seen on roads while some private cars and motorcycles were seen plying the roads throughout the day.

But the public gathering was high in the lanes and by-lanes as police were not active there.

Witnesses said that mosques in the capital’s Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Uttara, Malibagh, Badda and the Old part of the capital received a huge number of worshippers.

They said that many people even performed their jumma prayer on roads as the crowd in mosques spilled over.

On Monday, the ministry of religious affairs declared that not more than 20 people could attend congregational prayers at mosques from Wednesday, the day when the government imposed the eight-day restrictions.

The restriction on devotees would continue until further notice, said the ministry deputy secretary Shakhawat Hossain in a declaration.

On April 12, the government has imposed a fresh week-long restriction ordering closures of all offices, both government and private, for a week from April 14 morning till April 21 midnight to contain the recent COVID-19 surge.

State minister for religious affairs ministry Faridul Haque Khan could not be reached for comments.

Alim Uddin Sharif, a resident of Peererbagh in the capital’s Mirpur, said that he was trying to avoid crowds but it was not possible as a huge number of people were compelled to buy essential items from the roadside kitchen market.

‘There is no space for a market here to serve over 50,000 families,’ he said.

Dhaka South and North City Corporation officials said that they have no plan yet to relocate the kitchen markets to nearby open spaces.

DSCC chief estate officer Rasel Sabrin said that DSCC asked traders to maintain social distancing in the markets while DSCC mobile courts were also in operation.

‘Our executive magistrates continue their drive to impose the health guidelines,’ he said.

Hundreds of people were seen buying ifter items from roadside vendors at different points of the city, including Baily Road, Tajmahal Road, Kamal Saeani and other roads of residential areas, especially in the Old part of Dhaka.

A number of check posts were seen on roads of different entry points of the capital where police checked passes and papers of passengers.

News Courtesy:

https://www.newagebd.net/article/135564/violation-of-restrictions-continues