Crowded customs stations pose virus risk

Tax officials are finding it difficult to maintain physical distancing in the customs houses due to congested premises, exposing them to coronavirus contraction.
After the government resumed full-fledged customs assessment from April 22 to keep the supply chain uninterrupted, the customs house in Chattogram is seeing a rush of exporters and importers to get their goods released, officials said.
They said the daily turnout of people seeking services at the Chittagong Customs House, or CCH, averages 5,000.
But that number fell to roughly 1,500 due to the slow trend in foreign trade. People crowding the house include clearing and forwarding agents.
"Customs officials are working as front-line workers in this situation to smooth the flow of supply chain of essential products in the country," said Syed Mushfequr Rahman, secretary-general of the BCS Customs and VAT Association.
The officials have procured their own protective gear to perform their jobs, as the chances of getting infected with the deadly virus are high in this situation, he said.
"We felt the necessity to resume our full-fledged work as the demand for essentials products soars during the month of Ramadan," he said.
With the order of the National Board of Revenue, the customs houses have resumed full operations, though nationwide lockdown is in place.
Talking to the FE, CCH commissioner Fakhrul Alam said the agency has adopted some sort of protective measures on their own, including washing hands, installing thermal scanners, wearing face masks, disinfecting shoes at the entry point and building personal hygiene awareness.
"We are discouraging gathering inside the customs house and have shifted some sections to the auditorium to provide services to the importers and exporters maintaining social distancing," he said.
Some 638 customs officials are working on roaster to minimise the risk, he added.
"We've to keep all the departments of Customs House open, including auction wing due to some legal obligations," he said.
Belal Hossain Chowdhury, commissioner of the customs house at Benapole, the country's largest land port, said they provided services to some 550,241 inbound and outbound passengers from and to India between January and mid-April, compared with 600,000 people handled by airports arriving from rest of the world.
"We have taken precautionary and safety measures, for which none have got infected with COVID-19 yet," he said.
After March 25, no goods-laden trucks entered the country from India, he added.
He said the customs officials are facing problem to commute to the workplace, because law enforcement agencies have yet to get the copies of the NBR order for keeping custom houses open.
Customs officials said they expect recognition, not incentives, but their front-line services remain un-recognised.
On Thursday, the Public Administration Ministry issued a circular extending general holidays until May 5, 2020 and asked 18 government divisions and ministries to operate on a limited scale during the period.
The name of the Internal Resources Division, which oversees the NBR, has not been mentioned in the order, although customs officials are working during the general holidays, the officials said.

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