“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world.Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” —We need these words of Margaret Mead to be true now more than ever, but on a much grander scale. Instead of small groups of concerned citizens, we need the entire population to heed the call of safety and security and stay at home — for the sake of everyone else.
Due to the presence of the novel coronavirus, the people of Bangladesh have now found themselves in a strange and unfamiliar situation that never in a million years we thought would happen. The people of this country have a long storied history of rising up against oppression and what is wrong. However,we now find ourselves against an opponent that is invisible, unkillable and almost unfathomable. The only weapons we have right now to fight and defeat this opponent is to put a stop to its black hand of reach by maintaining cleanliness and, most importantly, maintaining home quarantine! And to be successful in defeating this foe, the coronavirus, we need the participation of everyone, not just a few pockets of people.
Lessons of the past
We have been taught the rules of cleanliness since our early days by our parents, educators, peers and even television shows. However, never have we come across the need to quarantine ourselves. This begs the questions, why not? We have always had an infectious disease — much more so than many other countries in some aspects. But no one has ever actually relayed us the need nor the know-how of home quarantine, which would prevent the spread of such diseases and safeguard others from being infected.
Asking random people on the streets this question would probably entail answers like “Bangladeshi people are very resilient”and “Who has the time for it.”In fairness, all of these reasons might very well be true.There are many things in our life that are more pressing and we are, indeed, more resilient than many others — which has come at the cost of many lives since continuous exposure to a disease leads to a more tolerant and resilient physiological evolution — not to mention all the great medical breakthroughs that have made many infectious diseases become “common.”Unfortunately, we cannot afford the same luxuries as before for several reasons.
Understanding the reason
First, the novel coronavirus and its disease it causes, Covid-19, is more dangerous than many of those that came before it. While the mortality rate from this disease is much higher than that of its compatriots, it is the incurable nature of the virus that is most troubling. Over 1,000 people can be infected from a single individual and over 400 people can be infected in just 30 days — that is, if the infected person continues to lead a life as usual.Additionally, the incubation period for the disease is 14 days, meaning, it can take up to 14 days for the symptoms to show up — within which, the virus can still be transmitted to other people.
Second, we are yet to find the necessary medical breakthrough to help minimize the impact of this coronavirus strain. We are only approaching the fourth month of the pandemic, more time is still needed.
And third, we certainly cannot, should not and will not sacrifice the lives of the people hoping to develop natural immunity. So, the best and only weapon in our arsenal against this infectious disease because, even 75% or less exposure than usual can result in a 99.38% reduction in infection rate.
Understanding the concept
But even in the light of such information, many people in Bangladesh still look at home quarantine through fearful and suspicious eyes — which is surprisingly understandable. After all, regardless of the length, asking the same people whose past generations bled and sacrificed for freedom to confine themselves to home may seem like everything they stood against.
However, home quarantine is not confinement. It is, in fact, separation, segregation or disassociation from the rest of the population for a time— which in today’s case is 14 days. During this time, going outside is still permissible, just not advised, unless there is an emergency or high-priority need.Participating in public gatherings, and public gatherings themselves are also prohibited during quarantine period, but that is due to the risks associated with it.
During these 14 days of home quarantine, we need to isolate ourselves and/or our families from the outside as well as limiting outside movement, because disengaging from society is a necessary step in stopping the spread of any infectious disease or virus such as the Coronavirus.
Understanding the method
There is nothing really complicated about home quarantine. It is pretty much straight forward and the guidelines are quite explanatory. At the core lies one simple philosophy — distance yourself from everything outside! In practice, this means refraining yourself or your family members from going outside, especially those with respiratory problems or underdeveloped/weak immune systems like children or elderly people. Elderly people in general who are over 60 years of age make up the majority of the fatality rate from Covid-19. So, if a situation arises where going outside is a must, it is better to send someone who is of vigorous health with proper protective equipment.However, even then, there are precautions that you must take to ensure that you, unknowingly, do not become a harbinger of this disease.
First of all, it is important to remember not to go outside the home very frequently. But whenever you do, your body and your clothes need to be washed and disinfected immediately after returning home — including mask and gloves — as going outside exposes you to the virus. Since the virus can survive for a long duration both in the air and on surfaces, you might become an unwilling carrier of the virus to your home.
Additionally, if you are of the mind that you may have been exposed or infected with such a virus, it is important to isolate yourself from the rest of the family, especially children and elders. Quarantining yourself to a single room, where no one else is permitted, will reduce the chance of the virus transmitting to others. Pick a room that has an attached bathroom so as to eliminate unnecessary movement. It is also important to separate your personal items such as plates and glass from the rest and use protective gear when washing them — which should be done after every use.
Lastly, the general cleanliness guidelines such as frequently washing hands using soap, sneezing into a tissue and wearing a mask — which should be changed regularly —need to be maintained to stop the virus from spreading.
Preparing for a long haul
During this isolation, or even quarantine period, it is important to keep your spirit up because the fight against this foe can have a psychological toll on you — after all, we humans are quite social beings. Sure, stocking up on food and necessities is important in preparation for a long quarantine period, but being mentally prepared may just be as equally important – which in some cases, can be more difficult due to the unfamiliarity of the situation.
Stress, anxiety, confusion, emotional exhaustion — these psychological issues are common for isolation. We are not built for social isolation! But if this was any other age than the one we live now, the result of a prolonged quarantine may have been disastrous for our psyche. Modern technologies allow us to experience entertainment, relief and even social connectivity without having to break home quarantine. There is no reason to panic when it comes to home quarantine.
It is important to understand that the situation is never really out of your control. The stress and the anxiety that you might feel stems from uncertainty — which can be attributed to the disruption of your daily routine. But this disruption may open a new gate of opportunity as more time might now be at your hand that would have been otherwise impossible — time to spend on your hobby or with your family.
While we now may be thrust into a situation that we have never prepared for, face an opponent we have limited knowledge on, and fight using a weapon we are not familiar with, there is still hope. All we need is to rise to the occasion and realize our duty as members of the society and as the people of this nation. Solace is not far away. Until then, we need to quarantine ourselves to protect not just our families, but the way of our life and everyone else in the country.