With the week-long nationwide lockdown to begin today, the government has put forth several key directives which must be maintained in an effort to contain the increasing number of coronavirus cases Bangladesh is experiencing on a daily basis.
While it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that these protocols are maintained, rules are enforced, and flouters are punished, it is also our responsibility as citizens to cooperate and take necessary precautions related to health and safety.
By being lax or negligent regarding these directives, we only put ourselves and our near and dear ones at risk of contracting the disease. As a nation that has seen over 630,000 cases of whom over 9,000 have resulted in death, this is not an issue we can take lightly.
While it is understandable to feel frustrated by these renewed efforts to combat the spread of the virus, especially after things had seemingly returned to normal, it is important to understand that the price we will pay if the coronavirus is truly allowed to settle amongst our population will be unfathomable, not only in terms of loss of life, but also pain, suffering, and economic crises.
The initiative to propose a lockdown and its related health directives may indeed be flawed -- an issue we have addressed in today's other editorial -- but we need to tackle this before it gets out of hand. We must also accept that it may very well extend beyond this coming week depending on how things turn out.
While normalcy may continue to remain out of reach, it is only through the disciplined collaboration between citizens, the private sector, and public institutions that we can truly beat Covid-19, once and for all.
