Nationwide lockdown, set to be enforced “partially” from today (Monday) and “strictly” from July 1, will not be successful without ensuring food security for millions of extreme poor people across the country, warn experts, saying, hungry people can never be forced to stay indoors, and hunger and lockdown can’t go together.
A news report published in this daily on Sunday said that people from the lower income groups are worried over their livelihood during the government announced nationwide “strict lockdown” for seven days from Thursday. They also think that the restriction may be extended if Covid infections are not curbed considerably. The government has taken the nationwide strict lockdown decision following the recommendations of the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19, as the pandemic has again turned alarming.
According to experts, if the people from the lower income group get food and cash support from the government, they can stay home. Otherwise, they will be compelled to go out to the street to earn their living. The government should arrange food for the poor to make the lockdown fruitful. There are millions of working people in the country who don’t have food in their stocks at homes as they depend on their daily income. Even in normal times, millions of people in the country go hungry. So, they may create law-and-order problems.
On the fear of a workless situation, a large number of lower income class people like day labourers, rickshaw pullers and street vendors have left Dhaka city for their village homes while many others are still staying in the capital as they have no way to live either in villages or in the city during the shutdown period.
In fact, it’s impossible to deal with the pandemic without adequate jabs. According to WHO, it’s possible to return to normal life by bringing 80 per cent of people under vaccination. Unfortunately, less than two percent people have so far been vaccinated and we are only getting assurances of receiving vaccines every day.
