The deadly coronavirus is wreaking havoc in countries all around the world. Bangladesh is not exempt from its effects. The country has effectively been in lockdown since March 18, with all educational institutes and shopping centers ordered to remain close.
However, after a month and half of mandatory quarantine, the government has decided to ease restrictions. The government declared opening up economic activities, including opening up of shopping malls and stores across the country from May 10.
In response to the government’s decision, many are opining that this would lead to a spike in the number of coronavirus cases in the country. There have been more than 13,000 confirmed cases so far, with more than 200 people dying from the infectious disease. There are fears that lifting restrictions could prove deadly in the future.
However, looking at data from different countries seems to indicate that this might not be the case. In the last two months, Sweden’s response to the coronavirus crisis has been praised and criticized alike.
Can we take a page out of Sweden’s playbook
and trust our citizens to do their part in protecting
themselves and the country?
On 11 March, the same day as the first Swedish death to COVID-19, the Swedish government passed a new law at the request of the Public Health Agency, limiting freedom of assembly by banning all gatherings larger than 500 people.
However, no lockdown has been imposed since then as the Swedish government placed its faith in the hands of individual citizens to act responsibly and help prevent the spread of the disease.
Despite facing criticism from within and from other countries, Sweden’s government insists on sticking to what it deems as long-term sustainable solutions to the crisis.
Unlike its Scandinavian neighbors in Norway, Denmark and Finland, Sweden went its own way as the coronavirus pandemic started in Europe in late February and early March.
So far there have been more than 25,000 cases and over 3000 deaths in the country. It has higher death rates in relation to its population size than anywhere else in Scandinavia.
However, Sweden's statistics do include elderly care home residents, who account for around 50% of all deaths. Moreover, the rate of hospital admissions is falling in the country indicating that the lack of a strict lockdown was the right decision.
Swedes have responded to their government placing their trust in them by behaving responsibly. A sense of nationalism and pride over choosing a different approach to the crisis has led to citizens adhering to social distancing.
On the flip side of the argument are Italy and Spain, two of the worst affected countries in Europe. Despite posing strict restrictions early on and shutting down all non-essential activity, these two countries were unable to contain a massive explosion in cases.
In both of these countries, the number of cases crossed the 200,000 mark in 2 months. In Sweden however the numbers have crossed 25,000 in 2 months which is astounding considering the lack of a lockdown.
In Bangladesh, we are facing a difficult choice as we cross the 2 month mark as well. Should the lockdown be continued while the economy fails and causes the suffering of many? Can we take a page out of Sweden’s playbook and trust our citizens to do their part in protecting themselves and the country?
Almost all reports from every single corner of the world indicate that there is no alternative to social distancing in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
As more time passes, reports are emerging of the extreme contagiousness of the disease. With a population of 160 million, Bangladesh is currently at a crossroads of tough decisions.
On the one hand, enforcing countrywide lockdown has paralyzed the economy and left many without an income source. Thousands upon thousands of day laborers and low-income households have become reliant on relief to survive.
Many have lost their jobs and others are at risk of becoming unemployed as the lockdown continues.
Therefore, the government’s decision ease lockdown restriction was met with mixed response. From an economic point of view, it is indeed high time to restart activities in order to prevent a financial collapse.
However, since the country is densely populated and there is tendency of majority of the population to disregard the rules, the easing of restrictions could prove deadly.
It is better to ease restrictions in phases and continued monitoring is needed by the government to prevent catastrophe. With Eid-ul-Fitr less than two weeks away, it is important for the government to continue to impose restrictions on travel and non-essential activities. Congregation during the festival could lead to renewed clusters of the virus and cause a spike in the number of cases.
Synthia Kainath Nur is working with Bangladesh Post