Italy failed to act to contain the spread of Covid-19 early on, in spite of warnings, and now the nation has become a cautionary tale for the whole world, with a death toll higher than China.
It is, then, good to see that Bangladesh has not ignored this lesson, and is now doing all that is possible to contain and fight this pandemic, which is no doubt the defining crisis of 2020.
Our government has placed a restriction on all kinds of gatherings -- political, social, cultural, as well as religious -- in order to tackle coronavirus. This is the right move, and one that may end up saving many lives.
It is also good that people exhibiting symptoms have been asked to refrain from coming to work. This means all those with fever, coughs, or flu symptoms would do best to stay at home and self-quarantine, keeping the amount of contact with the outside world as low as possible.
Quarantine rules must also be respected, and in that regard, the government seems to be stepping up, after an initial period of laxness. Indeed, if individuals showing signs of carrying the virus are incapable of behaving responsibly, the authorities have no choice but to enforce that discipline for the health and safety of the masses.
China, the virus’s country of origin, has demonstrated what strict containment measures can achieve. While we may not have the same resources at our disposal, it is certainly possible for us to study the way they have responded, and determine how we at home can avert a catastrophe.
