Need for a well-defined action plan to defeat Covid-19
While there is unanimity that community transmission is happening only in clusters, experts differ with the administration that there should be no cause for concern. According to them, unless the government draws up an all-inclusive plan to fight the pandemic, which includes ensuring the virus is kept confined within that particular community or area, the situation will remain worrisome. We believe that complacency should have no room in our minds. There is little comfort one should take from the fact that the virus in Bangladesh has been confined in pockets in various parts of the country. If we take the data available, the curve will show an exponential rise in the number of confirmed cases of people infected. The aggregate figure may not appear alarming, but the rate of rise in infected cases suggests a leap that should offer a pointer to the administration, particularly the fact that 41 have proved positive in one single day only.
It may be appropriate to remind ourselves that what we are faced with is a warlike situation and calls for a warlike approach to defeat it. And there is only one way of fighting the pandemic. As experience has shown in the last eight weeks, unless the spread is thwarted, the system is likely to be overwhelmed completely. And the only way that can be possible is physical distancing and quarantine—self or imposed. It is good that the PM has ordered lockdown of certain areas. However, we believe that government efforts would be more effective if the fight against the virus follows a well-conceived strategy.
There is plenty of merit in the suggestion that an operational plan, and defining priority areas by studying the model of the growth and spread, will help identify the priority areas and help allocation of resources to those particular spots. That will economise the use of resources, efforts and time, and hopefully spare us the trauma that some countries are facing.
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