Even as the COVID-19 caseload in the country keeps surging despite limited testing, the novel concept of social distancing remains the exception rather than the rule in capital Dhaka as well as in other parts of the country.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people should maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from each other to minimise the risk of catching the infection from others or passing it on.
This has been the standard practice all over the world during the pandemic, although some countries that have brought their local outbreaks under control are now able to relax such measures.
Although the authorities have issued instructions to maintain a safe distance from others, there has been little to no enforcement and people have flaunted the guidelines almost at will since the lockdown was lifted.
The situation becomes clear in some photos captured by a UNB photographer on Saturday.
People form a long queue without maintaining the advised distance as they wait to board a bus in Gulistan.
In one good sign, most people now wear masks when they’re out and about.
The traffic on this road near Wari hardly indicates the country is struggling to contain a virus that has already killed more Bangladeshis in 3 months than dengue has in 20 years, reports UNB.