Why is there a confusion over a possible lockdown?

When Bangladesh have not yet recouped from the economic & social fallout of the first lockdown, confusion persists among the general population if another lockdown is indeed inevitable!

A few weeks ago, many felt optimistic that vaccines could be the saviour to going back to normal lives. Instead, it seems we are entering a dangerous new chapter of this pandemic.

In the face of a recent spike in Covid-19 cases, health experts are swamped over the possibility of another lockdown.

Although the Secretary of Health Service Division under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) Abdul Mannan has said that they are yet to get a directive over imposing another round of general holiday but if the current situation persists, lockdown will be a possibility.

Additionally, the Health Minister Zahid Maleque said that the decision of lockdown or general holiday is a decision made by the government, not the Health Ministry. 

The country has recorded 2,172 new cases between Saturday and Sunday morning, a giant leap from the 1,868 cases recorded on Saturday, and the 1,159 last Sunday.

Virologist Dr Nazrul Islam, vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, has added, “The zonal approaches of lockdown at East Raza Bazar and Wari last year left us with bitter experiences.”

“Imposing a lockdown is a foreign practice. We would never be able to implement it due to the suffering of our own people,” he said. “Rather the country can implement a local style of lockdown, and impose restrictions on movement to curb the cases”.