Travel through Benapole land port slumps due to Omicron surge in India
Fast-spreading variant fuels an almost eight-fold rise in daily infections since the start of the year
File photo of The Benapole-Petrapole border gate dividing Bangladesh and India Dhaka Tribune
UNB
Publish : 10 Jan 2022, 03:41 PMUpdate : 29 Mar 2022, 12:27 PM
The number passengers travelling to and from India through the Benapole land port has declined significantly due to strict measures taken to contain the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Bangladeshi travellers say an alarming spike in Covid cases in the neighbouring country, two Covid tests within days of arrivals are the prime reasons for the slump.
Those who need to travel to India for medical, business and education purposes have been suffering a lot, they said.
According to the port authorities, about 3,000 passengers travelled through the land port per day on average last week, but it dropped to 1,000 in the current week.
On January 1, as many 375 people went to India while 709 returned from the country and on January 2, some people left the country through the port while 864 people returned home from the country.
On January 3, the number of India-bound passengers was 491 while that of returnees was 611 and on January 4, some 442 people went to India and 639 returned. On January 5, the number of India-bound passengers was 481 while that of the returnees was 597.
Port sources said some 1.8 million passengers travel to and from India for different purposes every year.
In March 2020, India imposed restrictions on travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it allowed domestic flights from May 2020, and the entry of foreigners, except tourists from October.
“The number of passengers travelling to and from India and Bangladesh has dropped significantly. From January 1 to January 5, some 5,687 people traveled between the two countries,” said Abdul Jalil, deputy director (traffic) of Benapole port.
Alarmed by the rising Omicron cases, India's federal government two weeks ago warned states that "the variant is three times more transmissible than the Delta" and directed them to take action to rein in its spread.
Soon after the directive was issued, state after state announced curbs to prevent any mass outbreak of the Omicron strain.
On January 5, India reported its first known Omicron death in the northwestern city of Udaipur.
The Bangladesh government has also imposed some restrictions at Benapole land port, including strengthening screening.
Besides, travellers above 12 years have to undergo Rapid Antigen Test and no one except those having medical and business visas are allowed to pass.
Meanwhile, four India-returnees tested positive for Covid-19 and they are now undergoing treatment at Jashore Medical College Hospital.
“I’ve applied for an Indian visa for travelling by road but they’ve approved a visa for air travel. The cost of an air ticket has increased three times. More worrying is that tickets are found one week after the booking. It is now difficult for the common passengers to travel to India for urgent reasons,” said homemaker Aroti Debnath.
She also suggested improving the services in the health sector of the country so that people can take treatment at home.
Md Shamim, a businessman, said, “I often travel to India for business purposes but now it’s not possible due to the restrictions which are hampering the business.”
Subhankar Kumar Mandal, medical officer of Benapole Check-post Immigration, said, “Rapid Antigen Tests are being done along the border. In the past 15 days, samples of 64 people have been collected for the tests and four of them found positive for the virus.”
Travel through Benapole land port slumps due to Omicron surge in India
Fast-spreading variant fuels an almost eight-fold rise in daily infections since the start of the year
The number passengers travelling to and from India through the Benapole land port has declined significantly due to strict measures taken to contain the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Bangladeshi travellers say an alarming spike in Covid cases in the neighbouring country, two Covid tests within days of arrivals are the prime reasons for the slump.
Those who need to travel to India for medical, business and education purposes have been suffering a lot, they said.
According to the port authorities, about 3,000 passengers travelled through the land port per day on average last week, but it dropped to 1,000 in the current week.
On January 1, as many 375 people went to India while 709 returned from the country and on January 2, some people left the country through the port while 864 people returned home from the country.
On January 3, the number of India-bound passengers was 491 while that of returnees was 611 and on January 4, some 442 people went to India and 639 returned. On January 5, the number of India-bound passengers was 481 while that of the returnees was 597.
Port sources said some 1.8 million passengers travel to and from India for different purposes every year.
In March 2020, India imposed restrictions on travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it allowed domestic flights from May 2020, and the entry of foreigners, except tourists from October.
“The number of passengers travelling to and from India and Bangladesh has dropped significantly. From January 1 to January 5, some 5,687 people traveled between the two countries,” said Abdul Jalil, deputy director (traffic) of Benapole port.
Alarmed by the rising Omicron cases, India's federal government two weeks ago warned states that "the variant is three times more transmissible than the Delta" and directed them to take action to rein in its spread.
Soon after the directive was issued, state after state announced curbs to prevent any mass outbreak of the Omicron strain.
On January 5, India reported its first known Omicron death in the northwestern city of Udaipur.
The Bangladesh government has also imposed some restrictions at Benapole land port, including strengthening screening.
Besides, travellers above 12 years have to undergo Rapid Antigen Test and no one except those having medical and business visas are allowed to pass.
Meanwhile, four India-returnees tested positive for Covid-19 and they are now undergoing treatment at Jashore Medical College Hospital.
“I’ve applied for an Indian visa for travelling by road but they’ve approved a visa for air travel. The cost of an air ticket has increased three times. More worrying is that tickets are found one week after the booking. It is now difficult for the common passengers to travel to India for urgent reasons,” said homemaker Aroti Debnath.
She also suggested improving the services in the health sector of the country so that people can take treatment at home.
Md Shamim, a businessman, said, “I often travel to India for business purposes but now it’s not possible due to the restrictions which are hampering the business.”
Subhankar Kumar Mandal, medical officer of Benapole Check-post Immigration, said, “Rapid Antigen Tests are being done along the border. In the past 15 days, samples of 64 people have been collected for the tests and four of them found positive for the virus.”
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