As the present restrictions to contain the alarming surge in corona infections and deaths appear to be failing badly, the government has decided to enforce a weeklong ‘hard lockdown’ from April 14 across the country. However the Covid-19 National Technical Advisory Committee feels that seven days will not be adequate to bring the present state of Covid-19 under control unless a full shutdown for a minimum of two weeks is enforced.
Health experts have also been pitching for strict enforcement of restrictions as they raised questions about the effectiveness of the current half-hearted restrictions to tackle the worsening situation. The relaxed measures like the gradual resumption of the operation of public transports and reopening of shopping malls would not yield the desired results, rather they would push the country towards greater risks. They also came down hard on the government’s response to the resurgence of the disease, saying the ongoing restrictions are unscientific and that’s why the government has to backtrack on its decisions repeatedly. As goals were not fixed, we achieved nothing. Experts also suggest, though few studies have raised questions about the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the South Africa variant, most the studies suggest it can at least reduce the mortality and morbidity rates.
The shutdown last year was not properly implemented, especially during two Eid festivals when tens of thousands of people left Dhaka for their village homes. Besides, the workers, day labourers and the rickshaw pullers were forced to come outdoors to earn a living.
According to a news report published in this daily on Saturday, except for emergency services, all government and private offices and factories will remain closed during the coming lockdown. Public transport services will also be suspended. But during the ongoing shutdown, people in large numbers are seen moving around freely in Dhaka and divisional cities and district towns. On top of that bowing to the pressure of show owners and workers, the government has decided to allow shops and shopping malls to open for eight hours every day.
We believe that the authorities must come up with stricter measures this time instead of issuing directives only to contain the virus. In this regard, proper enforcement of the health safety guidelines is something that the authorities should consider. They should also consider launching a new and expanded stimulus package for the poor people and small traders to protect from the economic fallout of such measures.
