Publish : 13 Jan 2022, 10:03 AMUpdate : 13 Jan 2022, 10:03 AM
In its latest set of Covid-related restrictions announced recently, the government seems to have struck a balance between necessary precaution and exercising good judgement to avoid excessive disruption.
The resulting guideline contains all the essential steps needed to starve the emerging spike at conception. However, there are still some glaring inconsistencies.
The 11-point restrictions will come into force from today and they rightly include a mandate for masking in public, social distancing measures in public transport, reasonable border entry control, accelerating vaccination, and public engagement.
Some of the rules, however, such as the blanket ban on all outdoor gatherings, should be subject to more intense scrutiny so that it does not go on longer than it has to, disrupting normal life.
The guideline puts considerable onus on the authorities, as it should, requiring them to enforce the rules widely. The government should have had the basic preparations for taking on this task, as the administration has long known about the possibility that new spikes can emerge after a plateaued period.
Of course, the points on public gathering demand some focus, as it makes little sense to ban outdoor gatherings while leaving out indoor ones.
The authorities must have been preparing, one hopes, and can now handle the situation with relative ease.
It is important to not lose focus on why enforcing the guideline is crucial: To prevent a new spate of hospitalization; for which no amount of groundwork would have been adequate in Bangladesh, given the scarcity of medical resources, particularly that of hospital beds, ICU beds, and medical professionals.
In other words, Bangladesh cannot practically build the capacity for treating an exponentially increased number of patients in just a couple of years.
Successful enforcement of the guideline is also critical to prevent a situation that might necessitate new lockdowns, as the country cannot afford to endure another economic setback. The new rules are a good starting point, but further revisions may be required for a smoother outcome.
A good starting point
Some of the rules, however, such as the blanket ban on all outdoor gatherings, should be subject to more intense scrutiny
In its latest set of Covid-related restrictions announced recently, the government seems to have struck a balance between necessary precaution and exercising good judgement to avoid excessive disruption.
The resulting guideline contains all the essential steps needed to starve the emerging spike at conception. However, there are still some glaring inconsistencies.
The 11-point restrictions will come into force from today and they rightly include a mandate for masking in public, social distancing measures in public transport, reasonable border entry control, accelerating vaccination, and public engagement.
Some of the rules, however, such as the blanket ban on all outdoor gatherings, should be subject to more intense scrutiny so that it does not go on longer than it has to, disrupting normal life.
The guideline puts considerable onus on the authorities, as it should, requiring them to enforce the rules widely. The government should have had the basic preparations for taking on this task, as the administration has long known about the possibility that new spikes can emerge after a plateaued period.
Of course, the points on public gathering demand some focus, as it makes little sense to ban outdoor gatherings while leaving out indoor ones.
The authorities must have been preparing, one hopes, and can now handle the situation with relative ease.
It is important to not lose focus on why enforcing the guideline is crucial: To prevent a new spate of hospitalization; for which no amount of groundwork would have been adequate in Bangladesh, given the scarcity of medical resources, particularly that of hospital beds, ICU beds, and medical professionals.
In other words, Bangladesh cannot practically build the capacity for treating an exponentially increased number of patients in just a couple of years.
Successful enforcement of the guideline is also critical to prevent a situation that might necessitate new lockdowns, as the country cannot afford to endure another economic setback. The new rules are a good starting point, but further revisions may be required for a smoother outcome.
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