Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has intensified efforts to make sure people stay indoors and do not venture out of their homes without emergency reasons to limit the transmission of highly infectious coronavirus.

DMP Commissioner Shafiqul Islam told UNB that eight magistrates have been conducting mobile courts in the city against city dwellers coming out unnecessarily defying the government order.

Around 500 people have already been fined under Infectious Diseases (Prevention, Control and Elimination) Act 2018 since the government declared general holidays from March 26, the DMP Commissioner said.

“We went tough from Saturday following a decision taken at a meeting with the Home Minister on Friday night,” he said.

Meanwhile, DMP’s Traffic Department filed 3,445 cases and fined Tk 63.41 lakh in the last 23 days for bringing out vehicles without valid reason disobeying the government order to stay home.

To tackle the worsening coronavirus situation, the government declared general holiday from March 26 and then extended it until April 25, to curb the virus’ transmission.

It also urged people to stay indoors and not to go out without emergency needs and maintain social distancing when they are out.

“But we’ve noticed that some people took their vehicles out on the streets without urgent needs,” said DMP’s Deputy Commissioner (Media) Masudur Rahman.

He said they are taking legal action against those who came out with vehicles without valid reason and urged everyone to stay indoors.

As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and fatalities continued to rise, the government announced strict restrictions on movement and declared the whole country as ‘vulnerable-to-infection’ zone on Thursday evening.

Bangladesh has so far recorded 2,144 confirmed coronavirus cases and 84 deaths.