No Eid hugs: Employees slowly return to work after 3-day break

Banks, insurance companies, stock exchanges and other government and private offices have reopened after a three-day Eid break amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Government offices, aside from those providing emergency services, were closed in an effort to curb the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. The holiday for Eid-ul-Fitr was from May 13 to May 15, with two of those days falling on the weekend.

The government had instructed everyone to remain near their places of work during the holiday.

At the Secretariat, the heart of the administration, it still felt as if people were on holiday as work progressed slowly. Few employees and officials could be seen in the area, aside from those involved in providing emergency services.

Nobody exchanged traditional Eid hugs, which was a common sight after the reopening of offices in pre-pandemic days.

“The break is over, but people are still coming in a bit late, or in the afternoon, which is why there are few people here,” a senior government official told bdnews24.com. “As there were no additional days off after Eid, most people stayed near where they worked. It should be back to normal from Monday.”

The government imposed the ‘strictest lockdown’ from Apr 14 in an attempt to minimise the spread of COVID-19. As part of the initiative, all offices not providing emergency services were closed.

The current lockdown ends on May 16, but the government has extended the restrictions by another week to May 23. A notice is expected soon.