Even as coronavirus cases continue to increase persistently in the country, especially in Dhaka city, people keep crowding roads ignoring the risk of catching the virus.
Such scenario is occurring more frequently in the over-populated metropolitan city as the government has eased its lockdown since May 31, allowing resumption of all public and private offices after a 66-day general holiday in parallel with its imposed lockdown to slow the spread of the contagion.
On the heels of easing the lockdown, as the virus cases show no sign of abatement, health experts and economists called for imposing a hard lockdown across the country to flatten the curve, which they say the government failed to achieve during the immediate past lockdown.
As of Sunday, Bangladesh health authorities reported 65,769 COVID-19 cases and 888 deaths, with 2,743 such cases detected and 42 deaths registered in the 24 hours to 8am of that day. Sunday’s death toll was the highest reported in a day since March 18, when the first of such death was confirmed.
Despite such a spike, maintaining social distancing rules – one of the key advices provided by the World Health Organization to avoid contracting the virus – by people returning from their offices and businesses remains a far cry is what a UNB photographer captures on his camera in Gulistan, one of the busiest places in Dhaka city:
A motor-cycle driver parks his bike on the road and is waiting for someone while other people walk near him. — UNB
After finishing their office, people cross the road while vehicles are stuck due to traffic congestion. — UNB
People stand closely on the footpath waiting for public transports after finishing office work in the afternoon. — UNB
A man surrounded by others walks along the road while hawkers were selling goods on the both sides of the road. — UNB
A street hawker wearing only a face mask sell caps on one side of the road surrounded by others. — UNB
