All shops & shopping malls to remain open on Thursday despite Awami League’s ‘lockdown’ call
Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
All shops and shopping malls across the country, including those in the capital, will remain open on Thursday as usual, despite the Awami League’s announced ‘lockdown’ programme on the day (November 13).
However, shops in areas that observe a weekly holiday on Thursdays will remain closed as per the usual schedule, business associations have confirmed.
The decision came from a joint meeting of the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association and the Dhaka Metropolitan Shop Owners Association’s standing committee.
A joint statement signed by Md Nazmul Hasan Mahmud, President of the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, and Md Arifur Rahman Tipu, President of the Dhaka Metropolitan Shop Owners Association, said that all shops and shopping malls will operate normally on Thursday.
The Ministry of Home Affairs earlier said the government has taken all necessary measures to prevent any chaos surrounding the ‘lockdown’ programme announced by the now-banned Awami League.
When contacted, Nazmul Hasan told the FE that many people and shop owners were uncertain about whether shops would remain open due to the Awami League’s programme.
“To remove confusion, we held a meeting and decided that all shops will stay open as usual,” he said.
“By ‘as usual,’ we mean that areas where Thursday is a weekly holiday will follow that rule, but all other areas will have their shops open normally.”
Meanwhile, a leading member of Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, the oldest platform of shop owners, said there is no need for a special directive, as all shops and markets will remain open under the regular schedule.