A large number of people in the district who live from hand to mouth are starving as restrictive measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus left them jobless.

Members of the police and Bangladesh Army are regularly patrolling the district to ensure that residents properly maintain the government’s instructions and stay at their homes.

While visiting the district town on Sunday, only a few vehicles were seen at different spots. The rickshaw-pullers and auto-rickshaw drivers, who dared to bring their vehicles, said that they had no option but to come out to earn bread and butter.

But they are not getting any passenger even after waiting for hours.

“I haven’t been able to earn enough to buy rice for my family in the last two days,” one of them said.

Ripon Quazi, 50, a vegetable seller, said the poor are going through ‘a tough time for lack of food’ as the lockdown left them jobless.

The local administration enforced a complete shutdown in Shibchar municipality and three unions of Shibchar upazila on March 20, in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Later, the government put restrictions on unnecessary gathering and movement of people and suspended vehicular movement across the country.

Dr Shashank Chandra, Shibchar Upazila Health Officer, said the situation in the upazila is getting better.

Shibchar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Asaduzzaman said they have distributed five tonnes of relief items on Sunday.  Besides, Kalkini Municipality Mayor Enayet Hossain distributed relief materials among tea-sellers in his area.

Bangladesh has so far confirmed 48 cases of coronavirus and five deaths. The global death toll climbed to 33,965 on Monday — a mortality rate of 18 percent, according to Worldometer.