Noman Mosharef :
Few tourist spots became crowded during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays, showing no respect to the health guidelines.
The spots were Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach, Palenga Sea Beach in Chattogram and Balashighat in Gaibandha.
Local people fear transmission of coronaviorus.
The tourists from different parts of the country didn’t follow any health guideline, even there was no authority for monitoring this.
Meanwhile, on August 5 District Administration’s Tourist Cell decided to reopen sea beaches, tourist spots and hotels-motels in Cox’s Bazar Municipality area from August 17 on a limited scale. The beaches and tourist spots in the rest of Cox’s Bazar district will remain closed until further order, said local administration sources.
All hotels-motels and tourist spots were closed on March 18 as per the decision of a committee formed following the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
In consultation with the members of the tourist cell, the administration has prepared guidelines and health directives in line with the government’s instructions to ensure the safety of tourists.
The local administration in cooperation of the tourist cell will monitor the implementation of the guidelines. Action will be taken if anyone violates the instructions.
Israt Jahan, a resident from Cox’s Bazar Municipality expressed her fear and said, after relaxed lockdown in July a limited scale of the visitors started coming to the Beach. But after Eid, the huge number of tourists visited the area, especially on Friday it became over crowded. If large scale visitors gathered before reopening the hotels, motels, then after open what will happen could not be imagined.
The visitors also thought that not more people would have visited the tourist places amid pandemic.
Nishi Akter with her friends had visited a cascade in Chattogram .
She did not see anyone following the health directives in the tourist areas and transports on the way. Even though there was no authority to monitor the matter. Of course, she herself was not very worried about this.
Nishi Akhter said, “The bus driver, helper picked up people like the local bus. There were no health directives. I went to the spot and saw so many people. I didn’t even think that too much people will be there. Now I have come to refresh my mind. Others have also come for that. I can’t really enjoy if thinking so much.”
Mohibul Haque, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, promised to deliver a written SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) on how to operate tourist spots in compliance with health directives within the next week in every transport, hotel, market and restaurant.
He said law enforcement had been given the idea to monitor the whole matter.
“Everyone who runs the recreation center and those who went had a responsibility to protect safety. Law enforcement has been instructed to do the same” he said.
However, traders in the sector said that the government’s directive needed to be given earlier rather than at the last minute.
Though the tourist spots are supposed to be officially opened within the next week, the government has not yet issued any health directives.
In such a situation, the traders are worried that it will be difficult to make arrangements to ensure hygiene.
Shahed Ullah, Director of the Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh, said they wanted the tourist spots to be launched with utmost importance on health directives.
However, as the tourists start flocking to the tourist areas again, the traders in the sector are hoping that the sector will be blissful.
