Bangladesh will once again go into a nationwide lockdown, albeit for a week initially, as the government looks to gain a semblance of control with regard to the surging Covid-19 cases and deaths in the country, and at this juncture, exercising extreme caution is the only way forward.
In the week of March 11, the seven-day moving average of deaths as a result of the coronavirus in Bangladesh stood at single digits, and for a while, with the success of the vaccination administration, it had appeared that the worst of the pandemic was behind us.
Unfortunately, since that week, cases of Covid-19 have been increasing at an alarming rate, culminating in what was the highest seven-day moving average of deaths in Bangladesh -- over 46 -- since the pandemic was first detected in March of 2020, while the total number of cases detected has been increasing daily as well.
All of this has left the government with no choice but to enforce a lockdown. However, it is unfortunate that it has come to this, for as we have continued to editorialize over and over again, despite the reduced numbers and the introduction of the vaccine, we were not out of the woods yet. The death statistics now make this fact tragically obvious. There was always the very real risk of the situation turning sour very quickly if we were not careful and suddenly stopped exercising the safety measures and protocols that remain as important as ever to ensure that Covid does not get out of hand.
Unfortunately, that is precisely what happened as people let their guard down and started flouting the health regulations. However, along with the imminent lockdown, it is vital that people finally wake up and realize the importance of maintaining their distances, wearing masks, and washing their hands. We do not want to keep having to impose lockdowns, and if the people can do their part, we can leave this pandemic behind us in the near future.