Restrictions are being lifted, but at what cost?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Bangladesh—like most other countries in the world—has been faced with the "lives vs livelihoods" dilemma, as pandemic-induced lockdowns hit the economy hard even while working towards bringing widespread Covid-19 transmission slightly under control. During the latest spate of lockdowns, we have once again faced the same issue. Over the past week, the positivity rate has finally dropped by about five percent after spending more than two weeks at a whopping 30 percent. However, we have also witnessed restriction relaxation demands across pandemic-hit sectors that are struggling to cope with the continued loss of income.

While we do have sympathy towards the difficult decisions that must be taken with regard to Covid-19 policy in this context, what we cannot understand is the government constantly resorting to a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to decision-making. How else does one explain the recent decision to lift almost all coronavirus restrictions from August 19, despite the daily death toll continuing to cross 200? While it is important to ensure that the economy is allowed to operate, is it necessary to re-open everything in such quick succession, and even allow social gatherings to take place?

Although the authorities have stated that community centres, tourist attractions and recreational facilities will operate at half of their capacities, and that everyone is required to wear a mask and follow health and safety guidelines, we know from prior experience that these directives are hardly ever monitored and enforced. It is not enough for the authorities to simply announce these rules and then sit back and watch them being broken. Does the government have any specific plan to ensure that these directives will be followed this time around? If so, we have not been made privy to it.

This state of affairs is all the more concerning given that, on Thursday, the health minister reiterated how serious the Covid-19 situation is in the country, and stressed the importance of getting virus transmission under control. Not too long ago, he had warned that the country's health infrastructure was not enough to cope with the rising number of coronavirus cases and that it could face imminent collapse. In this situation, it is incomprehensible why the authorities did not consult experts or attempt to lift restrictions in phases and/or according to the situation profile of different sectors.

Even though we commend the government for restarting the vaccination campaign, we must remember that it might be a long time before the entire targeted population gets at least a first dose. Until we reach this vaccination target, there is no alternative to taking measures to reduce Covid-19 transmission through strict enforcement of the health guidelines. Without increasing awareness on the importance of following these guidelines, and without taking concrete steps to enforce them, a relaxation/lifting of lockdown will only make the current Covid-19 situation worse.