It is good to note that the government during a cabinet meeting on Monday decided to integrate all possible preventive measures to check coronavirus entering the county.
Though the virus is less deadly than other diseases such as ebola, it is much more contagious. One of the reasons is that in many cases, the infected do not show symptoms at first. Everyone coming to Bangladesh from any other country would have to go through WHO standard double check at all the entry points including the airports.
Moreover, the people who are coming from China, particularly from coronavirus-hit Wuhan city, will be kept in quarantine for 14 days. So far, 312 stranded Bangladeshis have been brought back from China. They have been quarantined in the Haji Camp in Ashkona of the capital and are being observed for any sign of infection.
The government is also in the process of bringing back the 171 Bangladeshis students who are still stranded in China's Wuhan in a chartered plane. The government must be commended for its dedication to ensuring the security if its citizens.
However, we must also keep in mind that bringing back the Bangladeshi expatriates from Wuhan poses a significant risk to the rest of the population of Bangladesh. Therefore, screening at airports in China and Bangladesh needs to be stricter and more thorough.
Transparency on part of the
government in handling the situation
is needed to reassure the public
In case any of the returnees are infected with the virus, they must immediately be quarantined on the airport premises and safely transported to a medical facility to ensure that there is no risk of the virus spreading to the local populace.
There is already a lot of information spreading on the disease and the government must take steps to ensure that accurate knowledge is being disseminated to prevent mass panic. Transparency on part of the government in handling the situation is needed to reassure the public.
