Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka on Thursday witnessed a surge of returning passengers, although almost no one was following the Railways Ministry's advisory to wear masks as a Covid-19 precaution.
Health guidelines were largely ignored and there appeared to be no visible enforcement by the authorities, despite the country recently witnessing a rise in Covid-19 cases.
Previously, during the Covid-19 pandemic, from 2020 to 2022, loudspeaker announcements were regularly used to raise awareness about such health precautions.
Earlier, the Ministry of Railways urged passengers to wear masks and comply with health regulations from Sunday, during the post-Eid return journey.
In light of the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has advised citizens to wear masks in crowded places.
In particular, elderly and unwell individuals have been urged to avoid crowded gatherings altogether.
As a result, the Ministry of Railways requested all passengers to wear masks and follow health guidelines during post-Eid train journeys.
However, no such measures were visibly in place at Kamalapur Railway Station.
Only a handful of passengers were seen wearing masks, while the majority did not.
Passengers holding standing tickets were crammed into the non-AC general compartments of trains returning to Dhaka.
Aminul, a passenger from Rajshahi who arrived in Dhaka around noon, said he stood the entire journey.
Despite the crowd, he had no mask on.
When asked, he said he has not received any instructions from the railway authorities regarding masks.
Rahima, a passenger from Rangpur, said she is unaware of any advice about wearing masks and therefore did not.
Moreover, none of the ticket inspectors on duty were seen wearing masks.
Food was also being sold openly on the train.
Md Sajedul Islam, the station manager, said instructions have been given for passengers to follow health guidelines.
He added that awareness campaigns, including mask advisories, will soon be launched.
