The Central Technical Group (CTG) on zone-wise mapping for Covid-19 has marked off three main roads and five feeder roads of Wari ward 41 of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) as coronavirus red zones, which may go into lockdown from Thursday, officials say.
The Local Government Division (LGD) has issued a letter to the DSCC to implement strict lockdown by maintaining standard operation procedure.
“We received the letter from the LGD after office hours today (Monday); we will announce the timeline of the lockdown tomorrow (Tuesday),” said Shah Md Imdadul Haque, chief executive officer (CEO) of DSCC.
“But as per our plan, we will enforce a strict lockdown in the red zone in line with standard operation procedure,” he added.
“Lockdown can start from Thursday. However, the final decision in this regard will be taken on Tuesday,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
According to the map sent by the LGD, the main roads marked off as red zones are Tipu Sultan road, Jahangir Road, and the road between Joykali Temple and Baldha Garden, while the feeder roads are Larmini Street, Hare Street, Wyre Street, Rankin Street, and Nawab Street.
“No one will be allowed to enter the area when the lockdown begins. We will provide food and health support to residents depending on their requirements. Unnecessary movement in these areas is also prohibited,” he added.
Though the CTG had finalized the map of the red zones of Wari on June 22, the DSCC received the official order on June 29.
DGHS officials said that a letter was sent to the Health Services Division in this regard on June 24.
Nasima Sultana, additional director general of DGHS, also confirmed the despatch of the letter during the daily Covid-19 bulletin on Saturday.
“The Ministry of Public Administration will announce a public holiday for the people in red zones once the order is executed,” said the DSCC CEO.
According to government directives, the authorities concerned will place red zone areas under a 21-day lockdown, and all offices and businesses in the area will remain shut.
The authorities will also strictly control the movement of people by setting up entry and exit points in these areas.
Residents of the areas will have to rely on deliveries from restaurants, while grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open for walk-in customers.
People will be allowed to shop in marketplaces only when necessary.
People must work from home in the red zone areas and can go outside their homes by maintaining health guidelines in case of emergencies.
Movement of rickshaws, vans, taxis, auto-rickshaws and even private cars will not be allowed inside the demarcated areas during the 21-day lockdown.
There will be facilities for Covid-19 tests for suspected patients, and home or institutional isolation will be arranged for those who test positive.
In the red zones, almost all forms of transport will be suspended, and public transport, including trains and launches, will not be allowed to stop to ferry people, as per the 13-point directive for red zones.
Goods-laden water vessels and ships, however, can enter and exit red zone areas but only during the night.
Shopping malls, gyms, sports complexes and recreation centres will remain shut during the lockdown period.
Any kind of public gathering is prohibited during this time, and only ailing people can go out to hospitals.
Mosques and other places of worship can remain open but only for staff and their officials, not for local residents.
ATM services will remain operational, and banks can stay open in a limited capacity.
