WITH 6,496 corona cases recorded on Thursday after noting more than 5,000 daily cases for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, health experts believe curbing Covid-19 infection is still possible if the 18-point government guidelines are maintained strictly. But if the guidelines remain just on paper, the second wave of the pandemic will be catastrophic. Since we cannot afford another phase of lockdown, economic activities will continue and therefore we have to ensure social distancing isolation and quarantine to curb infections. Safety measures must be followed while using public transports.
Noted virologists said all the public offices will have to act in a coordinated manner as any mistake this time will push up the death tally, and affect the economy too. The country reported 59 more deaths Thursday, the highest daily figure since August 26 when 54 deaths were recorded. The infection rate reached 22.94%. With the latest figures of infections and fatalities, total Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh now stands at 617764 and the death toll 9,105. As we cannot shut down everything, the focus should now be on the maximum implementation of the instructions, issued by the government.
Hospitals that suspended Covid treatment will have to resume the same immediately. Besides, supplies of high flow nasal cannula and oxygen to hospitals will have to be geared up. Some public buses ran with packed passengers and devotees crowded the mosques as usual – marking a lax approach to virus safety measures. The ongoing Ekushey Book Fair witnessed an almost double crowd Tuesday, though one of the 18-point instructions discourage mass gathering like a fair.
In this crucial time, we need to understand the consequences of our actions. It is not only for us, but for others as well. We have a huge number of senior citizens and middle-aged people vulnerable to Covid-19 as they have comorbidities like cardiac conditions, diabetes, and asthma. Even at this crucial juncture, we are unfortunately seeing a lack of responsibility among all sections of our society. This new crisis requires us to reset our expectations and make behavioural changes. The government is doing its part, but in the given situation we, the citizenry, should also understand our roles and responsibilities to contain the transmission.
