ED: A ray of hope

After a massive uptick in infections earlier this year that saw the country going in and out of lockdown, the single-day infection rate of Covid-19 in Bangladesh has finally dropped below 6% after 189 days. 

To say that this is significant would be an understatement. Ever since the early days of 2020 when Covid-19 first bared its fangs for the whole world to see, nothing has been the same. In order to curtail its effects, countries around the world paid a great price, Bangladesh included. From people who have lost their entire livelihoods, to time that can never be recovered, to a proliferation of social plagues like underage labour and child marriage, the damage that this disease has caused is immeasurable, and most of it happened during lockdowns. 

And yet, there was no other way to tackle it. Survival had to take priority. In the light of all we have been through, then, it is great news that the single-day infection rate has dropped so low. 

There is no doubt that the recovery that the government has managed in terms of procuring vaccines has been a trump card when it comes to fighting this vaccine. It is only due to vaccines that we are now able to re-open our educational institutions, and if this effort continues, soon, this bleak reality termed the “new normal” could finally be over. 

It is extremely fortunate that Bangladesh has finally reached this stage. But we need sustain this recovery. There is always the chance that things may get worse again, and we must be ready for every possibility.