When the home calls, Covid-19 is moot

Since Friday, it has been dismaying to see thousands of people having to resort to any means possible to get to their hometowns before Eid, just as the second wave of Covid-19 has slowly started to see a dip in the country. No warnings (be it from the Prime Minister herself) or restrictions, nor the heat or lack of regular transportation, are able to stop people from trying to get to their home districts.

From jumping onto trucks, crossing the Padma on trawlers/small boats, renting private transportation for more money than they could afford to walking long distances, people are doing it all to be with their loved ones for Eid. In all this, it has been impossible to maintain any measure of physical distancing, as thousands thronged to the capital's bus terminals, and microbuses packed with 10 to 12 people left for the southern and northern districts. Adding another layer of despair, transport workers were seen taking advantage of the situation and charging extra fare.