ED: Priority number one

The current situation in Dhaka regarding the rising number of Covid-19 cases could very well prove to be disastrous if we are not careful.

Let us be clear: Covid deaths are at an all time high. But, unfortunately, due to the number of people dependent on leaving their homes in order to maintain their flow of income and ensure their financial security, we find ourselves in a tradeoff where either people’s livelihoods suffer, or the rapid spread of the virus causes widespread death and illness.

The current lockdown -- unlike last year when the government had maintained a strict closure of all offices and public arenas, disallowing people from leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary -- has seen protests from office-goers who, due to the closure of public transport, were unable to go to work.

This is a multi-headed beast that requires compromise from several facets of society in order to ensure that Covid-19 does not devastate us completely. For one, we need to people to stay at home but, in order to keep the economy afloat, businesses need to survive, many of which rely on the physical presence of their employees.

This situation is further exacerbated by the fact that many private organizations, either due to lack of resources or an inability to sympathize with their workers, have not arranged ways to work from home or at least provide transportation facilities which would have gone a long way towards ensuring their and the nation’s safety.

Regardless, the decisions we take moving forward are crucial. It is encouraging to see the government take the situation seriously and try to come up with a solution that would cause the least amount of harm to nation and health, in addition to the fact that people in general have refrained from heading out without reason.  

But we must remain vigilant in the upcoming weeks and maintain health directives strictly, and authorities must ensure that this is enforced. It is the only way that the current situation does not get out of hand.