Dhaka has become a ghost city amid the shutdown to curb the coronavirus spread

The streets of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, a mega-city crowded with more than 20 million people, are eerily quiet and empty today as the city silently marks day one of 10-day lockdown announced by the government to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

There is almost no sign of life on major roads, footpaths, lanes in the capital, which remained always bustling earlier. Same picture in once busiest areas of the city- Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh, Motijheel, these places are unnaturally silent today.

Photo: Salahuddin Ahmed/TBS

In a visit to different busy signals and roads of the city, only emergency vehicles- police cars, ambulances or media cars- were seen moving very cautiously as the city looks so unreal. Besides, police have put barricades on many points to prevent the plying of public transports.

Photo: Saikat Bhadra/TBS

All kinds of shops, markets, malls and even road-side tea stalls are closed in the city. You can only find some small general stores are open in the residential areas.

The government has sent the whole country into a 10-day lockdown, after road transport services stopped across the country from Wednesday night amid the deadly outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions were also closed till April 9.

The government also imposed restrictions on railway, waterway and airway services across the country.

Bangladesh confirmed five deaths from the novel coronavirus and 39 infected cases across the country till date.