Despite our lax approach and assuming that the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic is behind us, the fact remains that the virus still looms large, with new sub-variants of the Omicron virus slowly but surely growing and infecting people. It must be noted that while deaths from Covid appear to be on a low, the new subvariant -- XBB.1.5 -- is the most transmissible Omicron subvariant detected so far and thus is a threat to many.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has always advised maintaining the health mandates that had helped save countless lives during the peak of the pandemic, with mask wearing being among the easiest yet most critical steps people could do to stop the spread.
To that end, it would be wise for the authorities concerned to err on the side of caution, and heed the WHO's advice. Particularly when it comes to stopping the spread of the new variants, it is important that masks are once again strongly encouraged on long flights as well as other high-risk areas where there are large gatherings of people.
While Bangladesh must be commended for many of the ways it has combated the pandemic, especially with how it has successfully managed to vaccinate its population, we must remain pro-active to snuff out any potential wave from ever threatening us again.
That means for the public continuing to follow the health mandates that have been relevant from the first day of Covid-19 infections, and the authorities concerned to remain vigilant, especially at airports and other potential hotspots, to identify and isolate those carrying the new sub-variants. We have had a long battle with the pandemic to try and bring back normalcy -- let us never have to go through that again.
