There appears to be no slowing down the spread of Covid-19 in Bangladesh. However, it is also regrettable yet visibly apparent that, when it comes to the strategy in dealing with the outbreak, we have been woefully inadequate.
As noted by numerous experts in a webinar hosted by Dhaka Tribune on Friday evening, there have been numerous errors in the lockdown approaches taken by the authorities concerned -- all of this has contributed to the country making very little progress when it comes to mitigating the effects of the pandemic.
There is unfortunately no denying that, just as many countries, Bangladesh was slow to react to and acknowledge the severity of Covid-19; the announcement of a general holiday instead of a strict lockdown was also confusing for the general public, who were never educated about the sheer magnitude of the issue at hand.
Lifting the lockdown during the time when cases were on the rise was yet another questionable decision taken by the authorities, while the current strategy of zoning lockdowns, albeit a sensible one, has been difficult to implement from the get-go because of a severe lack of data.
All of this paints a grim picture -- that of a country that continues to be in this predicament brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic with not much to inspire confidence in the people. This is a situation that must change.
Despite better preparation in many countries, they have been unable to thwart the effects of the pandemic. Bangladesh, however, can and must do better, across multiple fronts, to prepare the country and its people better to combat the spread of the virus.
Make no mistake about it, the danger is far from over, and there is yet time for Bangladesh to learn from its mistakes -- and those of other countries around the world as well -- and take the right steps, measures, and strategies to fight this deadly pandemic.