City back to near normal

Although shopping malls and markets are closed and public transport remains suspended, the city streets look almost normal with people violating lockdown by coming out of home and moving around on rickshaws, vans and private cars.

Amid this breach, the government extended the ongoing lockdown for five days till August 10 to curb Covid-19 infection.

Yesterday, the cabinet division issued a circular to this end, which also lifted restrictions on operation of all factories and industries.

From August 1, the government allowed operation of export-oriented garment factories.

Domestic flights will operate, maintaining health rules, says the circular.

Officials of US-Bangla and Novo Air, two private air operators of the country, said they are ready to resume flights on different domestic routes.

In a press release, Novo Air said the airlines will operate six flights each to Chattogram, Saidpur and Jashore every day and two daily flights to each of Barishal, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Cox's Bazar.

Wishing not to be named, an official of Bangladesh Railway said operation of 38 pairs of intercity trains and 19 pairs of mail and commuter trains will begin from August 11.

Commuter trains will operate following health safety guidelines and leave half the train seats empty. Tickets will only be available online whereas local train tickets will be found at counters.

Since April 5, the government has been enforcing restrictions in phases to stop the spread of coronavirus transmission.

All shopping malls and markets will remain closed until August 10. Only kitchen markets and corner shops can stay open from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

All forms of social gatherings will be prohibited, including religious and political gatherings. No restaurant can provide dine-in service and can only offer takeaways.

In a circular, Bangladesh Bank yesterday decided to keep banks closed on August 8 to contain the latest wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Banks remained closed on Sunday and Wednesday last week as per the decision of BB.

These are also ordered to keep their doors open for clients from 10:00am to 3:00pm during working days, according to a Bangladesh Bank notice.

Banks will be allowed to remain open until 4:30pm to complete work other than transaction activities.

The decision has been taken in line with a government instruction to continue the ongoing strict restrictions on movement till August 10.

"Stricter lockdown" has been in force from July 1 with an eight-day break during the Eid-ul-Azha. It resumed again from July 23 morning and it was scheduled to end yesterday.

After an inter-ministerial meeting on Covid-19 on Tuesday, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque said shops and offices will open from August 11.

Operation of public transport will also resume on a limited scale, he said.