Increased travelling should not be vehicle for new spike
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Tribune Editorial
Publish : 18 Dec 2021, 01:21 PMUpdate : 18 Dec 2021, 01:21 PM
It is a matter of some concern that tourists have flocked to holiday destinations across the country during the celebratory period marking 50 years of liberation for Bangladesh.
Having faced travel restrictions for long durations because of the ongoing pandemic, it’s only expected that people will want to travel to enjoy free time. In Cox’s Bazar, for instance, all the rooms in all of the hotels were pre-booked for the three-day holiday on the occasion of December 16. Hotels had to refuse many booking requests still, clearly indicating that an enormous amount of people, understandably, are clamouring for holiday touring.
While there are no travel restrictions at this moment, it would be prudent to exercise caution, given that there is a very possible risk of a new spike, especially in the wake of the Omicron variant. This could be triggered by the newly invigorated travelling or get exacerbated because of it. The authorities should not be complacent because the daily death count has subsided significantly, bringing the pandemic to an effective standstill. If anything, this should inspire them to be on guard so that the pandemic continues to be dormant.
Like all governments around the world, the Bangladesh government has found itself in a new difficult position. As locking down is no longer a maintainable or even necessary strategy -- the threat of new spreads is still present, along with concerns over unforeseeable situations arising from new variants.
This is why vaccination should remain central in the overall action plan. The recent inflation in tourism is an inevitability. The authorities should encourage a general adherence to basic hygiene practices, and think seriously about mandating masking for very big gatherings.
Increased travelling should not be vehicle for new spike
It is a matter of some concern that tourists have flocked to holiday destinations across the country during the celebratory period marking 50 years of liberation for Bangladesh.
Having faced travel restrictions for long durations because of the ongoing pandemic, it’s only expected that people will want to travel to enjoy free time. In Cox’s Bazar, for instance, all the rooms in all of the hotels were pre-booked for the three-day holiday on the occasion of December 16. Hotels had to refuse many booking requests still, clearly indicating that an enormous amount of people, understandably, are clamouring for holiday touring.
While there are no travel restrictions at this moment, it would be prudent to exercise caution, given that there is a very possible risk of a new spike, especially in the wake of the Omicron variant. This could be triggered by the newly invigorated travelling or get exacerbated because of it. The authorities should not be complacent because the daily death count has subsided significantly, bringing the pandemic to an effective standstill. If anything, this should inspire them to be on guard so that the pandemic continues to be dormant.
Like all governments around the world, the Bangladesh government has found itself in a new difficult position. As locking down is no longer a maintainable or even necessary strategy -- the threat of new spreads is still present, along with concerns over unforeseeable situations arising from new variants.
This is why vaccination should remain central in the overall action plan. The recent inflation in tourism is an inevitability. The authorities should encourage a general adherence to basic hygiene practices, and think seriously about mandating masking for very big gatherings.
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