Police have tightened restrictions on the flow of people into and out of Dhaka even as the lockdown rules were eased by the government amid a surge in coronavirus cases across the country and relaxed lockdown rules.
The law-enforcement agency began reinforcing the checkpoints at the various entry points to the city from 8:00am on Sunday, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police officials, reports bdnews24.com.
Curbs were initially placed on the passage in and out of the capital on Apr 5 as the outbreak of the coronavirus began to intensify, said Additional Deputy Commissioner Mahmuda Afroz Lucky.
“We started strengthening the check-posts today in line with the directions of the DMP commissioner to prevent any person entering or exiting Dhaka barring an emergency,” she said.
A check-post has been active near the Nayabazar bridge from Sunday morning, said Kotwali Police Station chief Mizanur Rahman. Movement of vehicles other than those used for emergency service or goods transportation are being regulated, he said.
Police have also erected checkpoints at Dhaur Bridge and Abdullahpur, according to Deputy Commissioner Nabid Kamal Shoibal.
“Pedestrians are also being stopped and questioned while entering or leaving the city. They are being denied entry or exit on their failure to provide valid reasons for travelling during the lockdown.”
Police are also bringing legal charges for failure to abide by the lockdown rules, said the police official.
Bangladesh reported its first cases of the coronavirus on Mar 8. On Sunday, the country reported 1,273 cases of novel coronavirus infection, the highest daily spike as of now, pushing the total number of patients to 22,268. The body count currently stands at 328.
The government enforced a nationwide shutdown of offices, schools and public transports amid a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths in Bangladesh on Mar 26.
The shutdown period has since been prolonged in phases, most recently until May 16, with a further extension to May 30.
But the government has recently relaxed some of the lockdown curbs with factories, shops and malls being allowed to reopen as long as they comply with the government's health and hygiene directives.