A fresh lockdown with harsher measures is going to be enforced in the country from today (Wednesday) in an effort to rein in Covid transmission, but experts say the lockdown is unlikely to help reap any great results for lack of preparations to implement the restrictions, reports UNB.
They said a curfew-like situation must be created during the lockdown by engaging the members of the Army and BGB alongside the regular law enforcers to force people to maintain health safety rules and stay indoors.
The experts also opposed the government's decision to keep mills and factories open during the lockdown as they fear it will help the virus continue to spread.
They said the government should have provided the destitute, day-labourers and slum-dwellers with a specific amount of money to manage their food and livelihood before enforcing the lockdown.
On April 5, a nationwide lockdown was enforced for a week keeping almost everything open. No positive impact of the lockdown is visible as the country witnessed the highest weekly increase in virus infections and fatalities with 47,518 new cases and 504 deaths during the period.
Under the circumstances, the government on Monday issued a set of new directives to enforce a seven-day strict lockdown from Wednesday shutting all the offices and public transports. However, factories will remain open during the lockdown.
Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, former director (disease control) of the DGHS, said extensive preparations are needed to implement the lockdown strictly.
"The big problem is that the government is going to enforce the lockdown again without any preparation. "When you want to keep 170 million people indoors for seven days, it's a matter of serious preparation. A large number of people are supposed to be engaged in such a move for its successful implementation," he said.
The expert said makeshift shops should have been made in every locality so that people can collect their daily essentials during the month of Ramadan from there maintaining health safety rules.
He also said the low-income people should have been given incentives to encourage them to follow the rules of hygiene and stay at home.
"A slum dweller can't live on unless he or she earns every day. We should have made the list of needy people and provide them with a certain amount of money so that they needn't go outside for livelihood during the lockdown," the expert observed.
Besides, Be-Nazir said, a team of volunteers should be there in every area to ensure isolation of the family members of the Covid patients and help the government implement its directives and restrictions.
"I personally think the government has no preparation and well-thought-out plans to control the coronavirus transmission. That's why they're taking whimsical decisions and enforcing lockdown without proper plans and preparations," he observed.
Dr Be-Nazir said a health emergency or a strict lockdown should be enforced for at least 14 days to slow down the virus transmission.
"The loose lockdown that remained in force in the country for the last seven days seems to be futile to control the virus transmission."Rather, we're heading towards a dangerous situation. The South African variant which is now prominent in the country is very deadly as it can rapidly damage the lungs of the infected people. That's why the fatality rate is growing alarmingly," he opined.
Without controlling public movement, the expert said, the existing upward cycle of the virus transmission cannot be broken. "If we can keep our people at home for at least 14 days, the virus transmission will surely be eased."
Besides, he said, it is necessary to ensure the isolation of the family menders of infected people.
Eminent virologist Prof Nazrul Islam, also a member of the National Technical Advisory Committee, said, "The government first enforced a lockdown keeping almost everything open, and it's now going to enforce another weeklong lockdown keeping the mills and factories functional. I've a doubt about the success of such a halfhearted lockdown," he observed.
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