People’s movement in large numbers from the capital Dhaka to other metropolitan cities and districts town for their respective ancestral homes posed a serious threat to increase the risk of coronavirus infection.
The government has already extended shutdown and imposed restriction curbing people movement during Eid-ul-Fitr to prevent further spread of coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the government’s restriction homesick people have already started their Eid journey to their villages using different types of vehicles.
After visiting several places of the city, it was learnt that people started leaving Dhaka using private cars, ambulance, microbuses, lorries, motorcycles and other vehicles to reach their destinations for Eid which is likely to be celebrated in the country on May 24 or 25.
On Thursday, the government extended shutdown of public and private offices till May 30 and imposed restriction of people movement to anywhere from May 17 to 28 as the country has been witnessing a growing number of coronavirus cases.
Health experts feared that such irresponsible activities of people could spread the deadly virus across the country in a large number.
SorojineArefinNoshin, a housewife along with his husband on Sunday morning left the capital for Rajbari through private car.
Talking to the Bangladesh Post, Noshin said she has rented a private car forTk 7,000 to go to her destination for Eid celebration.
Now, the city has turned main hotspots of spreading coronavirus as all the areas identified cluster. So it is too risky to stay here, she added.
Vehicles have been waited for a long time to get ferry transportation at Paturiaghat, Esmile Hossain another homebound passenger said.
About the matter, additional police commissioner of Dhaka Mahanagar (Traffic), Mofiz Uddin said no busses are running on roads. But private cars and other vehicles are leaving and entering Dhaka.
If people want to celebrate this Eid like the previous years, the spread of Covid-19 would be severe.
Thousands of people left Dhaka in late March after the government declared general holiday but continued with movement of public transports, he said adding that again in April thousands of workers walked back to Dhaka join their workplaces at garment factories in two phases.
Mawa river police outpost in-charge Sirajul Islam said hundreds of people started going to celebrate Eid in their hometown by ferries and trawlers.
People have been crossing the river since the morning and most of them are youths, he added.
More than 500 small transports were waiting at Shimulia ferry terminal including goods-laden trucks, cars, microbuses, ambulances, and motorcycles, he mentioned.
It is so very difficult to maintain health safety or social distancing here as people are rushing in ferries and trawlers, he said.
