From shopping malls to streets, no social distance and health guidelines are being maintained anywhere in the capital and elsewhere in the country despite the ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

People are ignoring social distancing measures and health guidelines everywhere including streets, shopping malls, kitchen markets and even banks and other business establishments, making the situation even riskier.

Only a limited number of shopping malls and markets in the capital and elsewhere in the country opened on Sunday. But hardly any sellers or buyers are maintaining social distancing and health guidelines.

People were also seen gathering in front of the shops without maintaining the required distance of 1 metre or so thought to be safe for preventing transmission of COVID-19.

But most of the large shopping malls including Bashundhara city Complex, Jamuna Future Park, New Market, Mouchak, Anarkoli Markets are keeping their doors shut due to coronavirus transmission fears.

Visiting some shopping malls including Rajdhani Super Market, Islampur Market, Chawkbazar, Keraniganj, Ayesha Market, Dhanmondi’s Rapa Plaza, New Super Market and shops at Elephant road in the capital on Monday, visitors were mostly seen not maintaining any social distancing measures.

With the opening of RMG factories, increasingly large numbers of people have been seen getting out of the lockdown situation last week, casually flouting social distancing guidelines and posing serious risk of a rapid spike in the number of infections.

The number of people and vehicles were also seen moving on the city streets increased significantly on Monday. Even traffic jams were back in some areas, including Motijheel, Rampura, Badda and Mirpur areas.

Overcrowded kitchen markets, huge traffic on streets, crowds at relief distributions and movement of people to and from the capital could not be prevented despite efforts amid the ban on public transports during the ongoing general holiday announced to ensure that people stayed at home.

People flocked on the streets, markets, shopping malls and tea-stalls as soon as the patrolling law enforcers are virtually are playing as witnesses without taking any measures against the lockdown breakers.

Imposition of total lockdown in many of the affected areas in the capital has also been lax as people were seen roaming around those areas and many shops also remained open exposing people to further risk of infections.

Police said that they were trying to enforce the lockdown regulations, but people often ignored their request and instructions.

Many people were seen at Kataban, Farmnate, Karwan Bazar, Green Road, Palashi area of the capital on Monday defying lockdown, social distance and health guidelines. People most of them gave the excuse of going to hospitals or pharmacies.

Law enforcers, however, complained that unnecessary gatherings and public movements in the morning in alleyways and in the kitchen markets were cause for concerns.

Deputy Commissioner (media) Masudur Rahman said that people in the affected areas were not following lockdown instructions and police had to remain patrolling the areas to enforce them.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on Thursday asked city dwellers to complete their Eid shopping from markets located within two kilometres of their respective areas, maintaining government declared timetable and hygiene.

DMP also directed to install automatic disinfection tunnels or chambers at the entrance of every shopping mall. In addition, each store must have separate temperature measurement system.

The government on Tuesday allowed businesspeople to keep shops and shopping malls open for six hours from 10am to 4pm every day from Sunday (today), after maintaining health guidelines during the general holidays.

Market owners in Rajshahi, Sylhet, Chandpur, Feni and a significant number of them in Chattogram and Dhaka have decided to keep their businesses shut until Eid-ul-Fitr to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Most shopping malls in the capital will remain closed for now considering the present coronavirus situation, according to Bangladesh Shop Owners Association (BSOA).

BSOA president Helal Uddin said most of the shopping malls and markets, including the busiest markets in Gulistan, Bangabazar and Mirpur areas will remain closed until Eid.

Aziz Super Market in Shahbagh and Palwal Market in Paltan area will also remain closed, he added.

The authorities of Old Dhaka’s Islampur Market, Chawkbazar, Keraniganj, Ayesha Market at Jatrabari, Dhanmondi’s Rapa Plaza, New Super Market and shops at Elephant road area have decided to reopen the markets from Sunday, he said.

In Sylhet city, business leaders and owners decided to keep shopping malls and markets shut until Eid-ul-Fitr.

The decision was taken at a meeting on Friday attended by local business leaders and presided over by Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury.

Everyone agreed to keep their shops shut until Eid, they added.

“It’s a bold message to the government,” said Sylhet Chambers of Commerce’s President Abu Taher Md Shoeb, adding that life comes first.

In Chattogram city, 11 shopping mall owners also decided to keep their businesses closed until May 31.

They took the decision at a meeting at Mimi Super Market attended by business leaders of the respective markets.

The markets that will remain closed until May 31 are: Sanmar Ocean City, Chittagong Shopping Complex, Finle Square Shop, Central Plaza, Amin Center, Afmi Plaza, Akhtaruzzaman Centre, Singapore-Bangkok Market, Kollol Super Market, and Mimi Super Market.

In Rajshahi, City Corporation Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, local police administration and local MP on Saturday evening decided to keep all the markets, shopping malls closed considering public health safety.

In Chandpur, Deputy Commissioner Md Majedur Rahman Khan in an emergency notice on Saturday night announced that shopping malls, markets, shops and businesses will remain shut until Eid as the new coronavirus cases are rising in the district.

Stern actions will be taken against the businesses if they violate the directives, the DC wrote in an urgent notice on his personal Facebook account at 8:15 pm.

The decision was taken by the district coronavirus prevention committee, he wrote.

The government also decided to keep shut all the educational institutions in Bangladesh until May 30.

Shops will be allowed to operate until 4:00 pm.