However, Umar Farooq, a construction worker, was an exception as he wore a thin T-shirt and lungi while working at a construction site in Mohammadpur.
“When I work, my body gets hot and I don’t feel cold at all. When I stop working, I feel cold,” he said.
Mohsin, a rickshaw puller, wore a long-sleeved T-shirt under a short-sleeved shirt when he went to work in the morning. While he initially felt the pain of the cold winds, he soon started sweating while pedaling his rickshaw.
Zafar Ahmed and Shumi Akhtar brought their six-month-old baby with pneumonia to the Dhaka Children’s Hospital. The hospital authorities allow Shumi to be with the child, but not the father. Zafar had to spend the night in the garden outside the hospital.
Attendants are not allowed to be in the corridors of the Children’s Hospital. More than 10 people were found lying on mats in the verandah at the entrance. Others were seen wrapped in blankets on the floor in the corridors. Those who did not find a room there ended up in the open garden or on the balcony near the outer department.
“Winter is taking a toll on people and we can see a rise in the number of patients. Many parents bring their children to the hospital when the disease is severe and reaches its end stage. They should be more aware and take children to hospital if they have cold and cough, said Professor MD Jehangir Alam, director of the hospital.
According to the Meteorological Department, the weather is likely to remain dry with partly cloudy sky across the country during the next 24 hours. Dense to moderate fog is expected till morning and at a few places till afternoon.
The Meteorological Department said the long-term forecast for January calls for at least three cold waves, of which one could be normal.