Iqbal Mahmud | New Age Apr 11,2020
The authorities have put at least 15 districts in lockdown with more than 20 other districts in complete partial lockdown amid various steps to slow the spread of coronavirus disease.
The Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research data on Thursday night said that at least 22 districts have recorded COVID-19 infections since its detection on March 8.
Dhaka and Narayanganj have been identified as the worst affected areas after most of the patients tested positive were detected there.
Narayanganj has been under lockdown since Wednesday while around 70 affected roads, areas and neighbourhoods in the capital are in lockdown, police said.
Mirpur is one of the worst affected areas in the capital.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Mirpur division deputy commissioner Mostak Ahmed said that they are putting areas in lock down soon after the IEDCR detects infection in an area.
Several divisional commissioners on Friday confirmed that Narayanganj, Narshingdi, Tangail, Cox’s Bazar, Chandpur, Cumilla, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Khulna, Gaibanda, Satkhira, Rangpur, Pirojpur, Noakhali and Kishoreganj were put in total lockdown.
The government on Friday extended the ongoing holiday till April 25 considering the coronavirus situation.
The public administration ministry in a circular also instructed that none would be allowed to stay outdoors after 6:00pm and legal actions would be taken against the violators of the order.
IEDCR data showed that Dhaka division is the worst affected area among the districts recording COVID-19 infection cases, while no district of Rajshahi division has detected any such cases.
Dhaka’s divisional commissioner Mostafizur Rahman said that transport communication from Narayanganj to its’ neighbouring districts was heavily restricted and those districts were partially or totally locked down.
Cumilla and Narsingdi are completely locked down, the authorities said.
‘Since Narayanganj is one of the badly affected areas and people from the district may tend to move elsewhere, we have put strict restrictions in movements, Mostafizur told New Age.
Cox’s Bazar, which hosts Rohingya refugee camps, Chandpur and Cumilla of Chattogram division are in lockdown, said Chattogram divisional commissioner ABM Azad.
Barishal division, however, is facing major difficulties in tackling the garment workers as hundreds of workers were turning up in the district from Narayanganj.
In Pirojpur district, Amatali upazila of Barguna and Dumki upazila of Patuakhali were put in lockdown, said the divisional commissioner Mohammad Yamin.
He told New Age that many people from the Barishal division work at garment factories in Narayanganj and they went back to their villages through waterways after the outbreak there.
‘We have strengthened monitoring on waterways and the apparel workers returning from Narayanganj are taken to formal quarantine. They are not allowed to go to their villages. But it’s getting tougher to stop every returnees,’ he said.
Rangpur division faces the same difficulties with garment workers returning from Narayanganj, said its divisional commissioner KM Tariqul Islam.
He said that Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon, Nilphamari, Panchagarh are in partial lockdown and the authorities are marking houses of returning workers and instructed them to follow mandatory home-quarantine.
Jamalpur and Sherpur are put in lockdown as several cases have been detected there and parts of Mymensingh are also in lock down, said Mymensingh divisional commissioner Khandoker Mustafizur Rahman.
Meanwhile, army and police enforced partial lockdown in the capital more strictly on Friday and fewer vehicle movements were seen in the capital.
Amry and police personnel were seen patrolling the fronts of mosques in main roads and alleyways to prevent people from attending jumma prayers.
Some people, however, tried to attend prayers at mosques, but mosque authorities barred them.
Delwar Hossain, a muazzin of Kalwalapara Mosque at Mipur, said that three mosque staff and seven devotees from outside offered jumma prayers.
Some people offered jumma prayers in front of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque as they were not allowed there.
Police said that they had increased vigilance as around 70 areas of the capital recorded infections.
According to IEDCR data, Mirpur area is the worst affected with at least 40 cases, while Uttara had 16 infection cases, 13 at Dhanmondi, 11 at Basabo, 10 at Wari, 8 at Mohammadpur and 6 at Gulsan.
Infection cases were also recorded at Badda, Banani, Mohakhali, Basundhara residential area, Mughda, Bailey Road, Eskaton, Ashkona, Rajarbagh, Tejgaon, Begunbari, Jatrabari, Lalbagh, Islampur and some other parts of the city.
However, people were seen roaming around roads and neighbouring areas of some affected areas.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Masudur Rahman said that they were trying to restrict public and vehicular movements after anybody was detected with coronavirus infection.
