Commuters are left in the lurch as Bangladesh enters the second day of lockdown

The second day of the lockdown has seen a surge in traffic in Dhaka but commuters are suffering due to a shutdown of public transports.

Cars, microbuses, rickshaws and autorickshaws were spotted in larger numbers across the city on Tuesday. In the morning, there was a rush of vehicles at Rampura, Malibagh and Kakrail intersections. Long tailbacks were seen in parts of the city. Office-goers have suffered the most due to the closure of public transports.

"On the one hand, public transports have been shut down and on the other, government and private offices remain open. There’s no let-up in our suffering. It is costing us more to use rickshaws,” said Razia Sultana, an official of a private financial institution in Motijheel.

Shopping malls in Mouchak, Moghbazar and Elephant Road are closed, but corner shops remain open in residential neighbourhoods.

Kitchen markets in Shantinagar, Malibagh and Rampura are continuing to operate. Health guidelines are being largely ignored in these bustling areas. Restaurants clustering around these markets are open.

The government banned public transports for seven days as the lockdown started on Monday. It will continue until Apr 11.

The restrictions will apply to markets, shopping malls, hotels and restaurants, according to a notice issued by the Cabinet Division on Sunday. The 11-point directive allowed the government and private offices and banks to operate on a limited scale. The book fair also remains open. Earlier on Mar 29, the Prime Minister's Office had issued an 18-point directive in a bid to curb the virus upsurge.