The government has finalized its lockdown strategy, dividing the country into red, yellow, and green zones to combat the spread of Covid-19 that is showing no sign of slowing down in Bangladesh.
Eyebrows were raised when the government had declared opening up the economy previously without any proper plan, and while the zone-based lockdown strategy appears more reactive than pro-active in the wake of the increasing number of cases and deaths, the authorities do deserve credit for recognizing the error of their ways and making the necessary call.
The time now is to ensure that this strategy -- which directs that the high risk red zones must be under strict lockdown -- is carried out to its fullest, and that there are no discrepancies or exceptions to it.
This means that the strict lockdown in the red zones should be implemented without fail, and there should be no scope for people to disobey these directives. In the past, we have seen a general lack of negligence and care on the part of the general public regarding lockdown regulations and we simply cannot afford to have that this time around.
Moreover, while it is encouraging to see that the authorities concerned have mentioned that they will provide all necessary support to the red zones including food, safety, and medical care, they must be held accountable to be true to their promise and not just offer empty words of consolation.
Make no mistake about it, implementing this zone-based lockdown strategy will prove to be a challenge and the people who are in the red zones will require support from the local zonal committees.
Bangladesh continues to be devastated by the pandemic and if we are to reverse this terrible trend of registering increasing numbers of infections in the country, it is imperative that the authorities leave no stone unturned to ensure the success of the zonal lockdown strategy.