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Opinion

Is it the govt’s responsibility alone to fight pandemic?


Published : 29 Jul 2021 09:11 PM | Updated : 30 Jul 2021 12:52 AM

Is it the responsibility of the government alone to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic? The government is making strenuous efforts to increase the number of general beds and ICU beds in hospitals, install more ventilation machines, and ensure oxygen supply. Even new hospitals are being built for the treatment of Corona patients. Free medical services are being provided in most of the hospitals with the facility of free Corona tests. 

Although it is difficult to provide these services in an economy like Bangladesh, the government is desperately trying to help the people positively. However, we should all keep in mind that the government alone is not responsible for dealing with the virus. It is a virus that people need to be aware of in order to be protected. That means we all have to wear masks, wash our hands frequently and avoid crowded places. Those who adhere to these principles can protect themselves. Unfortunately, most of the population of Bangladesh do not have any headache in following the Corona safety protocols.

There is a class of people who are forced to come out of the house because they live from hand to mouth. Those hardworking people are living in great danger in the lockdown. However, there are many who come out of the house to see how the lockdown is being implemented and get into a thief-cop game with the police. As a result, law enforcement officers (who are relentlessly trying to make the lockdown a success) are getting annoyed with them. On the other hand, while those who come out and get drunk on a thief-cop game with them are putting themselves at risk of Corona infection. This kind of behavior is never desirable.

Now many may ask that the 14-day lockdown before Eid created an environment to control the rate of contamination. However, the government lifted the lockdown and pushed the situation towards more catastrophes. We all have to keep in mind that the decision to relax the lockdown was also taken by the government, considering the brute reality. Because we have already seen in the last year and a half that people could not be stopped from returning to the village during the lockdown. Rather, they have returned to the village on foot, spending much money and suffering a lot. Even returning home during Eid has never been prevented. Realising this reality, the government relaxed the lockdown this time.

But it is also true that the corona situation could take a more dire shape in the next two weeks due to the relaxation of the lockdown. So if we can follow the safety rules properly, the infection can be controlled at least a little bit. Because we know that it takes two to three weeks of severe lockdown to break the chain when the infection reaches its peak. In the light of the experience of Bangladesh and other countries of the world, it can be said with certainty that if the movement of people can be controlled through austere implementation of two to three weeks of stringent lockdown and if people adhere to safety protocols, it is possible to break the chain of infection. We experienced this during the first wave of the corona infection.

However, it is very difficult for the government of a country like Bangladesh to implement the lockdown decision because there are a large number of the working population in the country. Assisting them is a difficult challenge for the government. So far, they have tried their best to help the people. We also have to think that in an economy like Bangladesh, the government cannot afford to help the people by keeping them at home for months.

Therefore, what is needed is the support of non-governmental organisations, privately owned enterprises and individuals. In many parts of the world, we have seen many organisations, private enterprises and individuals come forward to help the government and the people, while Corona's terrible claws have made the economy and people's livelihood miserable. Although such initiatives are not very common in the context of Bangladesh, there are some examples. As a result, it is now the time for everyone to come forward. The difficult situation can be tackled through the collective efforts of everyone.

While the government is busy dealing with the Corona catastrophe, the dengue outbreak has been seen in Dhaka city. In the last week, about one and a half thousand dengue patients have been identified in the country. As a result, it has emerged as a thorn in the side of death. As of now, those who have been suffering from fever may have been receiving treatment based on the Corona test report. Due to the diversification of Corona and dengue treatment methods, it has become necessary to test for Corona and dengue for those who are now suffering from fever - especially in Dhaka city. The two city corporations have been very active in mosquito eradication for the past few months. However, they should have played a more active role before. At the same time, as a citizen, everyone is responsible for keeping their home or organisation clean.

However, sadly, most of us do not perform our civic responsibilities. We have seen through various media that dengue larva has been developed due to the accumulation of water in big construction sites in Dhaka. The monitoring teams of the two city corporations have imposed different types of penalties on different organisations. Everyone has some responsibilities as a citizen of the country. If we could all keep our homes and yards clean, dengue would not be another catastrophe during this Corona crisis. We all know that dengue outbreaks occur from April to October, but the worst situation is between June and September. The government is already struggling to save the people from the terrible clutches of Corona. If dengue takes a terrible shape, the situation will be more difficult to deal with. As a result, we should all follow the safety rules and keep our yard clean to protect ourselves from the terrible claws of Corona and dengue and help protect others. 

We tend to blame the government for everything during pandemics. We have to get out of that inferior mentality. We should assist the government in carrying out our responsibilities as citizens during any disaster. When the citizens perform their responsibilities properly with the government, overcoming any disaster will be easier. Let us work together to protect ourselves and help others overcome the worst disasters of this century.


Pranab Kumar Panday is a Professor of Public Administration at the University of Rajshahi