Civil society members call for coordinated measures to tackle coronavirus

Civil society members, including economists and public health professionals, have stressed on a coordinated way to tackle the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in the country.

They also called upon the government to identify the hot spots of coronavirus infection in the country and begin a wider communication campaign to ensure social distancing to prevent spread of the virus.

Brac Chairperson Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman. File photo

They also called for rightly identifying the groups of people most affected by the shutdown due to Covid-19 pandemic and ensuring that the government's stimulus package reach the people who need it most.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday announced an allocation of Tk 72,750 crore under a set of stimulus packages to address the possible impact of coronavirus on the country's economy.

So far, nine people have died and 88 tested positive in the country till today.

This is a time of national disaster and the NGOs are willing to work hand in hand with the government, the professionals said in a video press conference today.

BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh said next few weeks are very important for Bangladesh as infection cases are increasing.

"This is a national disaster. We all must work together in a coordinated way," he said.

Brac Chairperson Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman said it is very important to know the extent of Covid-19 spread, which is possible via testing. Alternatively, authorities also need to identify the hot spots of the infection, he said.

"This can be done alternatively, for example, by looking at the rates of respiratory diseases and deaths relating to that in certain areas," he said.

The NGOs, which have grassroots networks across the country, can help in this regard. A framework should be prepared for this, Dr Zillur said.

"Social distancing is a major strategy to prevent transmission of the virus, but this needs effective communication and enforcement. However, there seem to be gaps, especially when it comes to social and religious events," he said.

Poor people are coming out of homes for the sake of their livelihoods, while there is lack of hygiene practices in the urban slums. Social safety net programmes are crucial for these groups of people to enforce social distancing and promote hygiene practices, the economist added.

Those people who are on the frontline to address the health emergency -- especially healthcare professionals, law enforcers and journalists -- need morale boosting and financial incentives so they can continue to work, he further said, adding that a part of the stimulus package should be allocated for these people.

The health sector mangers and private health sector needs to decide how the patients of other ailments can have access to healthcare because there is a possibility that such patients may not be able to access healthcare because of the focus on coronavirus, Dr Zillur also said.

The government has a guideline for addressing the Covid-19 infection, but there should be national taskforce for coordination of all activities – public, private and non-profit bodies, he said.

About 40 lakh poor people involved in informal sector are facing food insecurity, while small farmers and micro, small and medium enterprises are vulnerable to the economic shocks caused by the pandemic, and these people need government's special attention under the stimulus package, Dr Zillur said.

He proposed the formation of a high-level expert panel comprised of government and professionals for developing short, medium and long-term plans.

Ahsan H Mansur, executive director of the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh, suggested that the government make an announcement of giving incentives to the small and medium industries and make sure that they are not evicted in case they fail to pay the rent.

ActionAid Bangladesh Country Director Farah Kabir suggested that the government ensure a smooth supply chain of farm produce. Otherwise, the prices of the commodities will fall and the farmers will be badly affected, she said.

She also said gender-based violence may increase amid the shutdown, and that the authorities need to think how they can help address it.

Centre for Policy Dialogue Executive Director Dr Fahmida Khatun and former health secretary AMM Nasiruddin also spoke during the video press conference.