According to the new timetable, all goods have to be unloaded from vehicles from 6pm to 6am and wholesalers will have to leave the market after purchasing their products within this timeframe.
The decision was taken at a joint meeting of representatives of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Armed Forces Division and members of Kawran Bazar Wholesale Market Shop Owners’ Association on Thursday.
The meeting also urged sellers, their assistants (maximum one) and buyers to wear masks and gloves all the time and maintain a safe distance.
It also decided that the owners' association will ensure adequate soap and hand wash for all buyers, sellers and those involved in the transportation of goods.
The meeting decided that the association will recruit adequate number of volunteers at the market for ensuring that buyers and sellers follow health guidelines.
The market committee will arrange separate entrances and exits so that everyone maintains social distancing and a person does not come in contact with another.
Besides, no hawker or van will be allowed to sell food or commodity in the market area or footpaths.
The schedule of retail markets will remain the same from 6am to 2pm every day.
The fish wholesale market will run their activities from 3am to 9am as usual.
In the current situation, the DMP is ready to cooperate with other wholesale markets in the metropolitan area to start such arrangement, its Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman said, seeking sincere cooperation from all to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus.