Govt. to tighten restriction over COVID-19 until June 30

1174

DHAKA, June 15, 2020 (BSS) – The government today issued an order
tightening restrictions on public activities and movements across the country
until June 30 to check spread of COVID-19 pandemic as an existing nationwide
control measure of identical nature is set to expire this evening.

The Cabinet Division order introduced for the first time a zoning system
based on coronavirus prevalence in certain areas as “red, yellow and green”
saying all offices in particular spots of red zones would remain under
general holiday.

“The government has decided to extend the period of restrictions on overall
activities of the country and people’s movement after June 15 conditionally
for checking spread of COVID-19 and improving the situation,” read the
Cabinet Division order containing 19 directives.

Officials familiar with the process said health authorities in
collaboration with city corporations or municipal bodies, local
administrative authorities and law enforcement agencies would chalk up
detailed plans to enforce the restrictions particularly in red and yellow
zones and allow limited urgent or emergency activities, formulating a
standard operating procedure (SOP).

Following are the directives:

1.The restriction will remain effective from June 16 to June 30 which it
will include weekends.

2. Everyone must stay indoors from 8pm to 6 am except emergency cases
(necessary shopping, traveling to workplaces, buying medicines, rendering
health services and funeral activities). Health guidelines, including using
face masks, must be maintained all times during moving around. Otherwise
legal action will be taken against those who will violate the order.

3. During the period, common people as well as all authorities must strictly
follow the directives issued by the Health Services Division.\

4. Everybody will have to strictly abide by the health directives, including
maintenance of physical distancing in bazaars, hats, shops and shopping
malls. The shopping malls must keep arrangements of materials including
sanitizers for hand washing. They must as well keep arrangements for
disinfecting cars and vesicles coming to the shopping malls. The hats,
bazaars and shopping malls must be shuttered mandatorily by 4pm.

5. Agencies engaged in law enforcement, ensuring state security and
operating intelligence activities and carrying out emergency services like
relief distribution, health services, electricity, water, gas and other
energy related services, fire service, ports (land ports, river ports and sea
ports), telephone and internet services, postal services and offices related
to essential goods and services will remain beyond the purview of the
restrictions along with their employees and vehicles.

6. Movement of all kinds of vehicle (trucks, lorries and cargo vessels)
engaged in transporting commodities through highways and river routes will
continue.

7. The restriction will not be applicable for agriculture products,
fertilisers, pesticides, foods, industrial products, goods of state operated
projects, kitchen markets, pharmacies, hospitals and emergency services and
the people related to the services.

8. Doctors, nurses and health service providers engaged in medical services,
vehicles and people engaged in transporting medical equipment, including
medicines, and people engaged in mass media (print and electronic) and cable
TV networks will remain out of the purview of the restriction.

9. All factory authorities, including medicine industry, agriculture and
production and export-oriented industries, could keep open their factories
ensuring safety and healthcare facilities for the workers. They will have to
ensure the application of health regulations for factories announced by the
Health Services Department.

10. No educational institution would be allowed to remain open during the
restriction. However, online courses or distance learning courses will
continue.

11. Bangladesh Bank will issue necessary instructions on keeping open the
region-based controlled banking system.

12. Public transport, passenger vessels, trains and airplanes could operate
their services in a limited scale with limited number of passengers in
approved regions. But maintenance of health guideline, including use of
protective masks, announced by the Health Services Division must be ensured
at all times.

13. All kind of rallies, meetings, mass gathering and any functions will
remain stopped during the restriction while the people could offer their
prayers at mosques and other places of worship maintaining the guidelines
issued by the Religious Affairs Ministry and the health guidelines.

14. Concerned authorities can control strictly people’s movement and
lifestyle strictly at district, upazila, area, neighbourhood and household
levels in line with Bangladesh Risk Zone-Based Containment Implementation
Strategy Guide prepared by Health Department under the Infectious Disease
(Prevention, Control and Elimination) Act 2018, demarcating areas as Red,
yellow and Green zones.

15. However, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will
have to be formulated for testing COVID-19 cases, running COVID and Non-COVID
health service protocol, quarantine, isolation, ambulance services, public
movement and vehicular movement, alongside operating economic
institutions/industrial institutions/commercial institutions, foods and
medicine supplies, humanitarian assistances to poor people, performing
religious rituals at mosques, temples and other places of worships, creating
public awareness, maintaining law and order and banking facilities at each Red
zone. Concerned ministries or divisions will take necessary steps in this
regard.

16. City corporations will be responsible for overall implementation of the
region-based restriction activities in their respective areas of
jurisdiction. In areas outside the city corporation, district administrations
will coordinate the overall activities. Local government institutions,
district/upazila administrations, health division, law enforcement agencies
will deliver their services in this regard ensuring coordination among
themselves. Honourable lawmakers, other public representatives, political
leaders, volunteers and others concerned will have to be involved in
enforcing the directives.

17. Civil or military, government, semi-government, autonomous, semi-
autonomous or non-government offices in Red zones and officials and employees
of the aforesaid offices living there will be under the purview of the
general holiday. Public Administration Ministry will take necessary steps in
this regard.

18. All government, semi-government, autonomous and non-government offices
in the green zone will remain open in a limited scale under their own
management. None could leave his/her workplaces (stations) during the
restriction. But vulnerable people, sick employees and pregnant women will
refrain from attending offices.

Officials and staff must strictly abide by the 12-point directives issued
by the Health Services Division during discharge of their duties at offices.
All meetings would be held through virtual media debarring physical presence
of people in such conferences unless the situation demanded so in
extraordinary cases.

19. The Cabinet Division will coordinate the zone related matters in line
with the request of the Health Services Division.