Restaurants to remain open, DMP clarifies

Restaurants and essential commodity shops will remain open in Dhaka during the government announced holidays to maintain social distance to prevent spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), clarifies police in a fresh instruction.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Shafiqul Islam on Saturday sent a fresh set of instructions to its officials and members where he asked them to act professionally while ensuring social distance.

He said that restaurants and bakers’ shops should remain open as many people do not have cooking facilities at their home and their staff should be allowed to move to keep restaurants and shops running.

Mirpur division’s deputy commissioner Mostak Ahmed told New Age that they had received a set of instructions to ensure social distance and how to limit movements of city dwellers.

Dhaka and other parts of the county in shut down since March 26 as coronavirus cases increased Bangladesh and the authorities stopped all the public transports to combat the situation.

The instruction noted that shops of essential commodities should remain open and their workers should be allowed to go to work while customers were asked to take away foods to their house instated of eating there, said Mostak.

Movement of individuals for physical exercise and health ground will be allowed, but group exercise is not permitted, the instruction added.

Emergency services like physicians, nursing staff, medical assistant and technicians, city corporation’s staff, security guards and other will be allowed to move.

Mostak said that there are 35,000 police personnel working in DMP areas and they were asked to behave professionally in every interaction and they also must maintain social distance while carrying out duties.

Meanwhile, the Mirpur division of police had a coordination meeting with military personnel, city corporation officials and ward councilors on Saturday.

‘Mirpur is densely populated residential area and ensuring social distance is tough there. So, we had a meeting where we decided to expand spraying disinfectants as much as possible,’ said Mostak.

He said that there was special focus for Tolarbagh area, which is most infection-hit area in Mirpur, and the densely populated Bihari camps.

Public announcement systems of mosques will also be used to create awareness among people about the coronavirus and manning social distance, he said. (Source: New Age)