Collective effort needed to curb Covid-19 spread during Eid journey: Quader

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today called upon all authorities concerned to work together to protect people from the risk of coronavirus spread --centring journey ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

The BRTA mobile court will monitor the situation round the clock and it will take action, Quader said.

He made the call while addressing a meeting of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), held at its head office in Dhaka, through a video conference from his official residence.

About safety measures, he said all vehicles must be disinfected after end of each trip and vehicles cannot stop during journey, except for emergency or taking fuel.

Passengers, drivers and their assistants will have to wear masks and maintain physical distancing rules during the journey to avoid risk of spreading the virus, he said.

He said a joint taskforce formed by all stakeholders including law enforcement agencies, Dhaka north and south city corporations and BRTA will remain active at all terminals across the capital to make the efforts successful.

Alongside, the BRTA mobile court will remain active and they will go for immediate action whenever they receive complaints or find irregularities ahead of the journey, the minister said.

Heavy vehicles will not be allowed to ply the highways across the country-- from three days before Eid-ul-Azha, he said

Besides, emergency services like vehicles carrying medicines, newspaper, perishable goods and sacrificial animals will remain out of the purview of the restriction, he said.