The government on Tuesday relaxed the ongoing restrictions on public movement and businesses for eight days from Thursday, reopening all businesses and public transports ahead of Eid-ul-Azha despite concerns that such relaxation would further worsen the Covid situation.

The restrictions have been relaxed from July 14 midnight to 6:00am on July 23 for the celebration of the Eid festival, movement of people, pre-Eid business activities and also for keeping the economic activities normal, according to a Cabinet Division circular.

The government move for relaxing public movement came two days after the Directorate General of Health Services had warned that hospitals might run out of space in a maximum of one week if Covid cases continue to increase.

DGHS line director Robed Amin said that the decision to withdraw movement curbs goes against the measures they had requested the government to adopt.

‘Lifting restrictions at this point in time cannot be considered,’ said Robed Amin, adding that imposition of the restrictions so far remained incomplete and was thus unsuccessful in containing the spread of the virus.

‘The decision of how people behave during the pandemic is not being taken by the country’s health experts,’ lamented Robed.

The ongoing restrictions would, however, resume from 6:00am on July 23 and would continue till August 5 midnight when all offices both public and private and shops and markets including shopping malls would remain closed.

The ban on operations of public transports on roads, railways and waterways and domestic flights would remain in force during the period.

Factories, which are allowed to operate during the ‘strict restrictions’ enforced since July 1, would remain shut from July 23 to August 5, according to the Cabinet Division circular signed by deputy secretary Rezaul Islam.

People have been asked to remain alert and strictly follow the health rules including wearing masks.

Public health experts fear that the number of Covid cases would increase further once the restrictions are relaxed ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest festivals of Muslims to be celebrated on July 21 due to the massive movement of people across the country on the occasion.

National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine former microbiology professor Benazir Ahmed said that the government added fuel to fire by lifting movement curbs.

People will get infected with Covid-19 in their thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, as people would travel outside Dhaka, mingle with each other during the Eid holidays and would return to the capital after Eid, said Benazir.