Reza Mahmud :
After 66 days of countrywide shutdown to contain spread of coronavirus; offices, workplaces and public transportations are resuming today despite the high rise of coronavirus infections, about which the experts say, it is not scientific, rather fearsome.
Lifting nationwide shutdown right now is not scientific but illogical as the infection and death rates are surging across the country, the experts warned.
Human health experts said that the government should have to lift or ease the lockdown with a well prepared exit plan drafting appropriate strategy when they would be able to control or curb the infection of the virus.
“Infections and death from Covid-19 are on high rise in recent days. It has crossed daily infections over 2000 in a 24 hour period on Friday and the death record of 28 covid patients in a single day was found on Saturday. When these highest records are found, then the country is going to lift its lockdown for half a month. It is not scientific. It will send our country to a serious vulnerable condition,” Professor Dr. M. Muzaherul Huq, former South-East Asian Regional Advisor of World Health Organisation (WHO), told The New Nation on Saturday.
He said the government had to lift or ease the lockdown gradually as per a well prepared strategy and exit plan when they can control or curb the infections.
Professor Muzaherul Huq warned that the country have fallen in high risk of spreading of coronavirus as the offices, workplaces and public transportations are resuming from Sunday ignoring the large number of infection and deaths from the virus.
He feared that the majority people might not follow the safety directives outlined by the government. As a result the infection rate will increase sharply.
He said the government had to follow the scientific systems to ease lockdown which was imposed across the country for two months on March 26 to contain the spreading of coronavirus.
The government should prepare a strategy and exit plan.
When we look to the strategy of Europe and other developed countries, it will be found that they have eased lockdown phase by phase.
In case of Belgium, they have reopened their lane, by-lane’s shops in the first phase. Then they have reopened their shopping malls for stipulated areas, following constantly pace, they have finally reopened their large
shopping plazas and work places phase by phase.
The other developed countries also follow the similar system.
In case of restaurants, they have been asked to accommodate 10 customers only whereas they have capabilities to accommodate 100 customers.
They have increased the numbers of customers to accommodate inside gradually.
“Bangladesh should follow such a system to lift the lockdown finally,” Professor Muzaherul Huq said.
Dr. Md. Shahed Rafi Pavel, Chairman of Bangladesh Doctors’ Foundation told The New Nation, “No doubt that the infections will increase more and more after resuming the public transportations and offices amid this condition.”
He warned also if the contamination increases seriously, then pressures on hospitals will also be increased.
Many of the patients might not get medical treatment.
“But what the government is to do? Government has to consider our national economy also,” he said.
In these circumstances, he suggested that the people should not leave home without any emergency need.
“And whenever, they go outside homes they must have to follow personal safety measures completely. They have to wear face masks, eye goggles, hand gloves and follow social distancing,” Dr. Pavel said.
Human health experts said, without preparing a strategy and exit plan, ease of lockdown will be suicidal, because average people of our country are not aware enough to follow the safety directives given by the government.
They said, during the lockdown it was found that most of our countrymen were not sincere to follow social distancing though the law enforcers’ kept their sharp eyes on this.
In these circumstances, when these people find the public transportations to ply most of them might violet the social distancing and other safety measures which will invite hazardouse for the whole nation.
They asked both the people and the law enforcers to maintain safety regulations strictly for their own and for the sake of the nation.
