Bangladesh opts for restricted reopening after protracted shutdown

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: The government today issued an order allowing restricted or conditional reopening of offices and transport services from May 31 easing a nationwide total shutdown since March 26 despite fears of continued coronavirus onslaughts, BSS reports.

The authorities simultaneously issued a 15-point directive restricting all public activities from May 31 to June 15 as part of measures against COVID-19 when the offices and services would run cautiously.

“All government/semi-government/autonomous and private offices will remain open in a limited scale under their own management (from May 31,” read the cabinet division order which came as the ongoing nationwide shutdown is set to expire on May 30.

But the order exempted “vulnerable people, sick employees and pregnant women” from attending offices and directed that all meetings would be held through virtual media debarring physical presence of people in such conferences unless the situation demanded so in extraordinary cases.

The government also to allowed “restricted reopening” of public transport services like passenger buses, trains and ferries with “limited number of passengers” who must wear protective masks during their movements at all times while operators were asked to strictly follow the health directives against COVID-19.

The private aviation operators, however, were allowed to restore flight services under their own management maintaining the health guidelines.

The shops would remain open from 8 am to 4 pm strictly enforcing social and physical distancing and maintaining other health guidelines.

But people’s movement from one district to another will be controlled strictly and monitored through security check posts at the entrance and exit points of the each of the country’s 64 districts.

The government statement said despite the eased shutdown the existing ban on public gatherings and peoples movement without urgent necessity from 8pm to 6am would remain enforced while violation of the order would be treated as a punishable offence.

The order issued a 15-point directive simultaneously to regulate public activities in view of the pandemic.