Staff Reporter :
City traders including owners and workers of shops in the New Market and other shopping places in the area have staged processions and rallies in the capital against lockdown.
At that time, the traffic was stopped when they blocked the main road of New Market.
On Sunday (April 4) afternoon, hundreds of traders took to the street and demonstrated in front of the market.
At the time, they demanded chanting different slogans and voicing their demands that the lockdown has to be withdrawn immediately..
Traders said we do not want lockdown anymore. This is our only one point demand.
They blocked traffic on the street and vandalised a number of vehicles during the demonstration, and at one point clashed with police.
Later, the shop owners and workers got up from the road with the assurance of the police administration.
Earlier on Saturday, the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association demanded that the shop would be kept open for four hours daily a week in view of holy Ramzan and Eid. The association claims that they are monitoring the market in light of the government’s instructions to ensure security.
But the fact is that many buyers and sellers are still reluctant to accept social distance.
By the way, the government has issued 11 directives for the restrictions on public movement that comes into effect on Monday across the country for a week.
A circular signed by Cabinet Division Deputy Secretary Md Shafayat Mahbub Chowdhury, in this regard was issued on Sunday. The most important directives, with effect from 6am of April 5 till 12 midnight of April, are:-
All public transport services (roads, river, railway and domestic flights) will remain suspended. This directive will not include cargo and emergency services vehicles and to people going abroad or arriving.
Offices, employees and transports of law enforcement and emergency services — such as relief distribution, health service, electricity, water, gas/fuel, Fire Service, activities at land, sea and river ports, telephone and internet, telecommunication and other services — will be out of the purview of this ban.
All government/non-government/autonomous offices, courts and private offices will be able to facilitate the commute of their employees to work using their own transports on a limited scale. Industries and factories will be able to do the same for their workers. Factories under BGMEA and the BKMEA will have to take measures regarding field hospital/treatment for their workers.
Nobody will be allowed to go out of home except for emergencies, such as the purchase of medicine and daily essentials, medical treatment and burial/cremation etc, between 6pm to 6am.
All types of restaurants will remain closed but will be allowed to sell online and deliver to customers homes or provide takeaway facilities. All shops, including shopping malls and markets, will remain closed. But shops can continue to sell goods online by maintaining health guidelines.
Bangladesh Bank will issue the directives to continue banking activities on a limited scale.
Mentionable that thousands of people gathered railway stations, bus terminals and launch terminals in the capital on Saturday to leave for their village homes soon as the country to go into a seven-day lockdown from Monday.
