Nationwide lockdown begins in Bangladesh

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A week-long strict lockdown has started in Bangladesh with all offices and public transports being shut-off.

The government, however, allowed factories to remain open during the weeklong lockdown, according to a notice issued by the Cabinet Division on Monday.

The new lockdown that has come into effect with stricter rules will be continued from the morning of Apr 14 to the midnight of Apr 21.

The government has ordered a shutdown of all shopping malls and shops to curb the spread of the coronavirus infections. Restaurants will be allowed to take orders online or provide takeaway services on specified time slots.

Bangladesh: New lockdown rules in details

All government, semi-government, autonomous and private offices will be closed. Employees must not leave their stations. The ban will not be applicable to airport, land ports and maritime ports and their offices.

Factories will remain open, provided they follow strict health protocols. The authorities should arrange their own transport for their workers to commute.

Bangladesh Supreme Court will issue the necessary directives for the trial courts across the country

All public transports, including road transport, trains, water transports and domestic flights will be suspended. The ban will not be applicable to cargo transports, production systems and emergency vehicles.

Vehicles serving law-enforcement agencies, emergency relief efforts, health services, COVID vaccination, utility services, fire service, private security, postal service, land and maritime ports, telephone, internet providers will be allowed to run.

Citizens are barred from going out without an emergency, such as buying medicines and daily staples, seeking medical treatment or the burial of the dead. People are allowed to visit the vaccination centres to get the shot, but they must carry their vaccination cards.

Hotel and restaurants will remain closed but can only supply food from 12 pm to 7 pm and 12 am to 6 am. Shopping malls and stores will remain closed.

Daily staples, including kitchen ingredients, can be sold in open places from 9 am to 3 pm. The kitchen market authorities or the local administration must ensure that the health rules are followed.

District administration will coordinate the transportation of farmworkers for emergency needs for harvesting Boro paddy.

District and local administrations will take necessary measures to implement the directives, while the law enforcement agencies will strengthen patrolling.

The DGHS director-general will provide the necessary power of attorney to the district administration and the police department to take legal action on its behalf.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs will issue necessary guidelines to perform Jummah and Tarawih prayer congregations following the health rules.

Related ministries or departments may issue additional directives, if needed.

Bangladesh Police issues Movement Pass

Bangladesh Police launched an app named “Movement Pass” for citizens, who will need to go out of home for emergencies during the weeklong lockdown to be imposed from April 14.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Benazir Ahmed inaugurated the app at Bangladesh Police Auditorium in city’s Razarbagh.

The police chief at the program said citizens, who will have to come out of home during the lockdown, have to collect the pass from the app as it is being launched to curb unnecessary movement of the people on the streets.

“Any citizen can easily collect the pass by submitting a couple of information on the app,” he said.

Dr Benazir Ahmed emphasized on national unity to tackle the second wave of Covid-19, saying, “The government has already taken different initiatives, but there is no alternative to personal awareness. We all should sincerely follow the health safety guideline.”

Any citizen can apply for the pass by logging on to www.movementpass.police.gov.bd website. First the applicant have to give an active mobile phone number and following that, he/ she needs to give some information including starting point and destination and later he/she has to upload a photograph.

Based upon the information, he or she will be given the pass, which will have to be downloaded from the website.

How to apply for movement pass?

Anyone requiring a movement pass may apply online by visiting the following link:

https://movementpass.police.gov.bd

What are the requirements for obtaining a movement pass?

Provide an active mobile number. Applicants will be asked from where they want to travel to what destination. Applicants will be required to upload a photo and then submit the form.

After the movement pass is issued based on the information provided, applicants will be able to download it from the website.

Travelers have to show their pass to police officials while moving outside.

National IDs, driving licenses, passports, birth certificates or student identification cards will be accepted as proof of identity.

The pass will be required to travel outside Dhaka while multiple passes will not be issued on a single phone number.

A pass has to be acquired for every time a person wishes to travel, meaning a pass will be valid for use only once, while separate cards have to be issued for travelling out and in.

IGP Benazir mentioned that journalists will not require any pass for movement.

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