Lockdown-2: People continue to flee Dhaka

Low-income earners have continued to leave Dhaka for their village homes amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown that began on Monday.

Thousands of people are seen at ferry terminals at Aricha and Maowa throughout Monday in their desperate bid to go home ignoring health guidelines, reports our local correspondents.

The rush to go back home began on Saturday evening when the government announced to impose lockdown for a week to contain the rising coronavirus cases and deaths.

Bangladesh reported over 7,000 Covid-19 cases for consecutive two days. The number of people died also remained over 50 a day for the past one week.

When visiting the area, our Manikganj correspondent, found that hundreds of people from capital Dhaka and its adjoining area have been gathering at Paturia-Daulatdia ferry ghat since the morning to cross the Padma without wearing mask that created a huge risk of increasing coronavirus infection.

Noticing the situation, the concerned authorities have suspended ferry service around 11:30am but were forced to resume the service around 1:00pm in line with the directive of the higher authority.

While talking to the correspondent Jillur Rahman, deputy general manager of BIWTA at Aricha ghat office, said over four hundred goods-laden trucks were waiting at the Aricha ghat to cross the river.

“We resumed the ferry services in line with the directive of the authority,” he said adding that people thronged without maintaining any physical distance or health guideline.