Hundreds of home-bound people are waiting at different points on Dhaka-Tangail highway since this morning for public transport following the declaration of a seven-day restriction across the country starting from tomorrow to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Due to the shortage of public transport, many opted to travel on goods-laden trucks or other risky vehicles to reach their destinations, reports our Tangail correspondent after visiting different points on the highway.

Passengers in the hundreds were waiting beside the highway for hours to get vehicles. Of them, many were not following the health directives. Numerous people were seen scrambling to board passenger buses if any halted at the stoppage.

Most of the public transport were seen carrying passengers out of their capacity and taking extra fares from passengers.   

Abdus Sattar, an employee of a private farm, was waiting at Elenga bus stand on the highway to go to his village home in Bogura along with his wife and two children.

"I could not board any passenger bus for the last three hours due to huge pressure of passengers. My children fell sick after waiting on the dusty road," he said.

Several passengers waiting for vehicles at Rabna Bypass in Tangail Sadar upazila also echoed the same.  

Jane Alam Bhuiyan, a traffic inspector in Tangail, told The Daily Star that many people are leaving the capital for their village homes since this morning after the news of the restriction. They are facing immense suffering on the roads for lack of public transport.

When he was questioned about monitoring health directives, the traffic inspector said they are working to make people follow health directives.