Rafiqul Islam, Anand Babu and Subrata Kumar were chatting at Dhupkhola Bazar in Old Dhaka. None of them were wearing masks as they stood talking on the side of the main road. After a while, they also chatted at a nearby tea shop and left.
When asked why he was hanging out outside during the government-announced lockdown, Rafiqul Islam said, "The lockdown has been going on since the month of Ramadan. Sometimes it's strict and sometimes it's limited. I went out to see what the situation was like because it was raining and there were few people."
When asked what the situation was like, the three friends said, "Everything is normal. Only on the main roads, the police have tried to control traffic by planting bamboo poles. But people are walking through the bamboo. And in the alleys, shops have been open since morning, and people are chatting and buying and selling as usual."
During these three days, I found the truth of my friend's words by visiting various markets and alleyways of Old Dhaka.
On Thursday, a visit to Narinda Bazar, Laxmi Bazar, Dhupkhola Bazar, Gendaria Bazar, Bangshal and Wari areas of Old Dhaka showed that although the big shops along the main road were closed, the small shops were open. Many people were eating and chatting in food stalls, defying the instructions. Many even went out to observe the strict lockdown despite the rain all day. Many of these people, who went out except for urgent work, were not following the government health guidelines.
Ratan Sarkar had come to get a haircut at noon on Distillery Road in Dhupkhola Bazar area. A salon was having a haircut inside with the shutters closed. Ratan was taken inside to knock on the shutters of the shop, which were lowered, and then the shutters were lowered again.
Meanwhile, to ensure hygiene, the sidewalk shops of Dhupkhola Bazaar have been shifted to the adjacent City Corporation grounds. These shops of daily necessities, called Kacha Bazaar, were selling and buying while ensuring social distancing. However, many shopkeepers were seen ignoring hygiene rules.
Shakib Hasan, a student of Jagannath University's Institute of Education and Research, came to Kachabazar following health guidelines. Shakib Hasan told Prothom Alo, the lockdown is the same as before. Strict monitoring by the administration is needed to control the infection and implement the lockdown. Along with this, public awareness needs to be increased.
