Badrul Huda Sohel :
Since March this year, the government has been taking various measures, including lockdown, to prevent Covid-19 infection. The government has long discouraged people from leaving their homes without urgent needs. The initiatives of the government included closure of educational institutions, offices, courts, markets, shopping malls, public transports and many more. In this way life came to a standstill and economic recession started. With this realization, the government is slowly opening up everything except educational institutions and amusement parks to get life back to normal and keep the economy moving. At the moment, it cannot be said that the corona infection or death rate in the country has come down drastically. Although the rules of hygiene are followed in indoor office activities, people are becoming more and more inattentive about health awareness in outdoor activities. Raw markets, shopping malls, banks and public transports are among the places that are now seen as corona infection spots when leaving home.
There is no way to understand the corona pandemic going on in the country if we enter the kitchen markets. There people are standing close to each other and purchasing vegetables. Most of them do not have masks on their faces. Even a few days ago, on the direction of the government, the local administration removed the kitchen markets and shifted them to relatively open fields, especially in the school grounds of district and upazila towns. As a result, the people continued their trading activities with some fearlessness while maintaining social distance. But now that many of those markets have returned to their former places, the trade is going on in an over crowded environment and the Covid-19 infection is increasing due to this.
Shopping malls, which have been closed since late March until the end of Ramzan, were reopened to a limited extent for Eid shopping needs. At that time, the owners of business establishments provided disinfectant spray and sanitizer at the entrance of every shop or show room. Now no such system is in sight. In addition, municipalities have constructed temporary basins for washing hands with soapy water in crowded places of districts and upazilas or at important road junctions to protect the health of passers-by which are no longer usable. We are now getting negative results due to the movement in the markets and shopping malls without following the health rules during the last two Eids.
Banks and ATM booths are considered to be the third hotspot of Covid-19 infection. Thousands of people across the country are withdrawing money from the booths through finger presses and the virus is being transmitted to people from the booth buttons. Until Eid-ul-Fitr, booth authorities provided disinfectant sprays or sanitizers to protect every customer entering the booth, but they no longer pay attention to such arrangements. As a result, the infection is increasing in this case as well.
One of the most important causes of coronavirus infection is public transport. There is a kind of anarchy going on in public transports in the name of maintaining health care. The government has allowed short-distance or long-distance bound buses to run across the country from the 1st June in compliance with health rules. The bus owners had to count the losses as the buses were closed for several months during the Covid-19 earlier. Since the offices and business firms have started working, the transports need to be kept normal. Considering the health protection and the financial loss of the bus owners, it was decided to increase the bus fare by 80 percent. Later, in response to the BRTA’s proposal, the government decided to increase the rent by 60 percent instead of 80 percent. Though the fare for inter-district and long-distance bound buses and minibuses including Dhaka and Chattogram metropolis and adjoining areas has been increased by 60 percent, all types of short-distance or long-distance bound vehicles including CNG and battery-powered auto rickshaws have also increased fares in all parts of the country. This is definitely inhumane and irrational. One of the conditions for increasing the fare was to keep one seat vacant among the passengers to ensure social distance and not to take passengers standing. Initially, the bus authorities accepted this condition, but now it is practically the opposite. Far from leaving the seats empty, the buses are running smoothly with the passengers standing. Before and after Eid-ul-Azha, there were reports of double or triple increase of fare in some places instead of the prescribed 60 percent due to high passenger pressure on buses. A 38-seated bus was supposed to carry no more than 19 passengers to maintain social distance, but in reality the buses are now carrying passengers in all the seats, which are increasing the conflicts between the passengers and the bus staff. The bus authorities need to stop this kind of farce. Although the 60 percent increase in rent is only applicable to the corona period, we are skeptical that it will return to the previous rate at a later time. This is because bus owners are often reluctant to reduce fares once they increase them on various occasions.
It is important to address this issue now as the passenger pressure on the buses will increase if the educational institution is opened in future. Things need to be monitored whether the conditions of health protection including one seat vacancy is being met or not. However, there is a problem with the general passengers. That is, the passengers who are spouses or siblings do not want to leave the seat empty. This issue also needed to be kept in mind before making rules. However, it has become urgent to take all possible steps to stop harassment on passengers. On the other hand, due to the closure of educational institutions, many travel-thirsty people, including students and teachers, are going on boat trips in groups at this time after Eid, ignoring the prohibitions of the local administration. In many districts including Sunamganj, Habiganj, Kishoreganj and Netrokona’s haor regions, the scene of boat travel is now being seen through social communication media. Some people are returning from boat trips as corpses. And there is no guarantee that not everyone will return home with the deadly invisible corona virus in the midst of the pleasure of navigating the body in groups without following the rules of hygiene.
It is true that people have become a little more indifferent to Covid-19 than they used to be. People who lost their jobs in search of livelihood have now started running in different directions. Even a few says ago, people were anxiously waiting in front of the TV set at 2 o’clock to know the death rate due to corona infection. Now they are not giving so much importance to this. It should not be forgotten that the corona pandemic has not yet left the country. Awareness can protect us from it. In order to keep the economy and livelihood moving, it is advisable for everyone to be vigilant so that the pace of life does not stop.
Since March this year, the government has been taking various measures, including lockdown, to prevent Covid-19 infection. The government has long discouraged people from leaving their homes without urgent needs. The initiatives of the government included closure of educational institutions, offices, courts, markets, shopping malls, public transports and many more. In this way life came to a standstill and economic recession started. With this realization, the government is slowly opening up everything except educational institutions and amusement parks to get life back to normal and keep the economy moving. At the moment, it cannot be said that the corona infection or death rate in the country has come down drastically. Although the rules of hygiene are followed in indoor office activities, people are becoming more and more inattentive about health awareness in outdoor activities. Raw markets, shopping malls, banks and public transports are among the places that are now seen as corona infection spots when leaving home.
There is no way to understand the corona pandemic going on in the country if we enter the kitchen markets. There people are standing close to each other and purchasing vegetables. Most of them do not have masks on their faces. Even a few days ago, on the direction of the government, the local administration removed the kitchen markets and shifted them to relatively open fields, especially in the school grounds of district and upazila towns. As a result, the people continued their trading activities with some fearlessness while maintaining social distance. But now that many of those markets have returned to their former places, the trade is going on in an over crowded environment and the Covid-19 infection is increasing due to this.
Shopping malls, which have been closed since late March until the end of Ramzan, were reopened to a limited extent for Eid shopping needs. At that time, the owners of business establishments provided disinfectant spray and sanitizer at the entrance of every shop or show room. Now no such system is in sight. In addition, municipalities have constructed temporary basins for washing hands with soapy water in crowded places of districts and upazilas or at important road junctions to protect the health of passers-by which are no longer usable. We are now getting negative results due to the movement in the markets and shopping malls without following the health rules during the last two Eids.
Banks and ATM booths are considered to be the third hotspot of Covid-19 infection. Thousands of people across the country are withdrawing money from the booths through finger presses and the virus is being transmitted to people from the booth buttons. Until Eid-ul-Fitr, booth authorities provided disinfectant sprays or sanitizers to protect every customer entering the booth, but they no longer pay attention to such arrangements. As a result, the infection is increasing in this case as well.
One of the most important causes of coronavirus infection is public transport. There is a kind of anarchy going on in public transports in the name of maintaining health care. The government has allowed short-distance or long-distance bound buses to run across the country from the 1st June in compliance with health rules. The bus owners had to count the losses as the buses were closed for several months during the Covid-19 earlier. Since the offices and business firms have started working, the transports need to be kept normal. Considering the health protection and the financial loss of the bus owners, it was decided to increase the bus fare by 80 percent. Later, in response to the BRTA’s proposal, the government decided to increase the rent by 60 percent instead of 80 percent. Though the fare for inter-district and long-distance bound buses and minibuses including Dhaka and Chattogram metropolis and adjoining areas has been increased by 60 percent, all types of short-distance or long-distance bound vehicles including CNG and battery-powered auto rickshaws have also increased fares in all parts of the country. This is definitely inhumane and irrational. One of the conditions for increasing the fare was to keep one seat vacant among the passengers to ensure social distance and not to take passengers standing. Initially, the bus authorities accepted this condition, but now it is practically the opposite. Far from leaving the seats empty, the buses are running smoothly with the passengers standing. Before and after Eid-ul-Azha, there were reports of double or triple increase of fare in some places instead of the prescribed 60 percent due to high passenger pressure on buses. A 38-seated bus was supposed to carry no more than 19 passengers to maintain social distance, but in reality the buses are now carrying passengers in all the seats, which are increasing the conflicts between the passengers and the bus staff. The bus authorities need to stop this kind of farce. Although the 60 percent increase in rent is only applicable to the corona period, we are skeptical that it will return to the previous rate at a later time. This is because bus owners are often reluctant to reduce fares once they increase them on various occasions.
It is important to address this issue now as the passenger pressure on the buses will increase if the educational institution is opened in future. Things need to be monitored whether the conditions of health protection including one seat vacancy is being met or not. However, there is a problem with the general passengers. That is, the passengers who are spouses or siblings do not want to leave the seat empty. This issue also needed to be kept in mind before making rules. However, it has become urgent to take all possible steps to stop harassment on passengers. On the other hand, due to the closure of educational institutions, many travel-thirsty people, including students and teachers, are going on boat trips in groups at this time after Eid, ignoring the prohibitions of the local administration. In many districts including Sunamganj, Habiganj, Kishoreganj and Netrokona’s haor regions, the scene of boat travel is now being seen through social communication media. Some people are returning from boat trips as corpses. And there is no guarantee that not everyone will return home with the deadly invisible corona virus in the midst of the pleasure of navigating the body in groups without following the rules of hygiene.
It is true that people have become a little more indifferent to Covid-19 than they used to be. People who lost their jobs in search of livelihood have now started running in different directions. Even a few says ago, people were anxiously waiting in front of the TV set at 2 o’clock to know the death rate due to corona infection. Now they are not giving so much importance to this. It should not be forgotten that the corona pandemic has not yet left the country. Awareness can protect us from it. In order to keep the economy and livelihood moving, it is advisable for everyone to be vigilant so that the pace of life does not stop.
(Badrul Huda Sohel is Assistant Professor, Department of English, Ishakha International University. E-mail: [email protected])
