How to manage and reduce risk factors of COVID-19?

The people of Bangladesh have learned to live with disaster. Disasters have taken highest toll on the people. Bangladesh is gradually growing as a disaster resilient country. The government had successfully workout effective plans and basic guidelines for disaster management.

National plan for disaster management 2010-2015 was prepared aiming at reducing vulnerability of the poor to natural, environmental and human induced disaster to a manageable and acceptable level. The plan was developed in line with the government mission taking into consideration the framework for action 2005-2015 and adopting the SAARC Framework on disaster management. The SOD first introduced in 1997.

The revised version of the SOD was published in 2010 in accordance with changed circumstances. The revised SOD has reflected the vision of the Government and clearly outline the role and responsibilities of the ministries, divisions, agencies, organizations, committees, public representations and citizens to cope with any disaster.

The WHO has repeatedly emphasized the significance of 'flattening the curve' to tackle COVID-19 outbreak, calling on countries to impose stringent Public Health measures including 'social distancing'. The WHO Director General Tedros Anhanom Ghebreyesus said- 'WHO continues to call on all countries to implement a comprehensive approach intending to slow down transmission and flatten the curve'. The ideal goal of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic is to halt the spread. Slowing it is crucial.

This reduces the number of cases that are active at any given time, which in turn offers doctors, hospitals, police, schools and vaccine-manufacturers time to prepare and respond, without being overwhelmed. Corona-Virus management entails three questions- how is the virus likely to play out, how does it end, and does human behavior make a difference? The later is connected to social distancing that can flatten the Corona-virus curve in numerous ways.

This includes avoiding contact with someone who is displaying symptoms of Corona-virus, avoiding non-essential use of public transport, avoiding large and small gatherings in public spaces, and also avoiding meeting with friends and relatives. Strong action is therefore required for promoting social distancing measures. Controlling modes of mass transportation is a vital social distancing measure. Public transports are often overloaded with commuters.

The government has to make an intelligent decision about it, particularly in the Divisional cities, since whenever people use this transportation system; they cannot observe the 2 meter social distancing rule.

The transport system requires new strategies to help reduce risk to passengers. Shelter-in-place or lockdown is also a tough measure to impose, although many affected countries have benefited from lockdown. China has taken control of Corona-virus through lockdown. Bangladesh government has plans to lockdown vulnerable areas.

The WHO has suggested that Bangladesh should go for partial or full lockdown and declare an emergency to prevent further spread of COVID-19. The government should have clear and well-considered strategies for addressing a huge economic and social downside of shutting down cities/communities.

Over the last couple of years, there is a growing trend in the country to undermine volunteerism. Schools and colleges teach students almost nothing about volunteerism, the virtue and necessary to do some work for other selflessly or without expecting any kind of return. By wrongly equating volunteer works with activities of non government organizations (NGOs), the policymakers also discourage voluntarism.

Rapid economic growth coupled with corruption has weakened social solidarity and mutual trust. So, a large number of people took at voluntary work with suspicion. Suspicion provides unscrupulous people with the scope to oppose or distort voluntary works and thereby take some undue advantages.

Thus, some people organizations trying to do social work voluntarily are facing some undesirable obstacles. In many cases, politically-backed miscreants stop such work or bully volunteers. In other cases, even the local administration doesn't provide necessary assistance to continuous such voluntary works.

Bad or bitter experiences of these voluntary workers and organizations discourage many others, specially individuals, to come forward. This is most unfortunate when mutual cooperation and volunteerism are very much necessary to fight the Corona-virus pandemic.

It is, thus, time to encourage voluntarism and community work. Respective local administration needs to extend adequate support in this regard so that necessary cooperation from willing citizens can be obtained. Many are ready to do such work. What is needed is to remove the obstacles.

The following points need to be taken into consideration for risk reduction. It is necessary to develop a sectorial risk mitigation and preparedness address strategy plan through conducting a detailed sectorial risk assessment & ensure budgetary provision for the implementation of the plan.

Again it is essential to establish an effective monitoring and evaluation system to ensure effective utilization of resources and undertake staff education and awareness training so that they can work as disaster volunteer.

Moreover It is needful to establish a sectorial risk communication system with the ministry and developed a sectorial contingency plan of risk reduction and management activities. And finally to create awareness on COVID-19 preparedness among all staff. It is required to form the following groups of COVID-19 emergency management.

Such as, Committee for search and rescue, Committee for debris cleaning, First aid, identification and detection of corona patient, procurement and distribution of PPE and Evacuation and relief management. Above all liaison with DMB and IEDCR to organize drills on COVID-19 preparedness and review the preparedness status/position and to co-ordinate with DMB and IEDCR for identifying of COVID-19 vulnerable areas within their working areas.

There are some other immediate measures necessary. Bangladesh Bank needs to ensure there is sufficient liquidity in the financial sector. The United States government is currently working on a pay-roll tax cut which will put money in the hand of workers.

Bangladesh may not afford a large stimulus, but at least consider temporary cuts on important duty and VAT. Beyond this short term measures, Bangladesh needs to plan for the long term recovery if recession does take place. A clear starting point will be investment in public health. The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly exposed how insufficient the public health infrastructure is.

The number of Hospitals to the number of ICU beds to the number of doctors and nurses, all of these indicate a critical deficiency in the healthcare system. A major investment on public health infrastructure will not only help towards addressing some of those problems, but also increase the aggregate demand through major government expenditure.

Another major focus should be to address the lack of digitization in the educational institutions and the low digital skills in general. A number of universities in the USA have swiftly moved to online classes as of campus activities are suspended. Bangladeshi educational institutions have not been able to do the same.

Anecdotal evidence shows that some service oriented companies, which should be able perform some of its business function by allowing home-office, have not done so due to poor digitization skills from mid level to senior officials. The government can consider major investment in digitizing educational institutions and enhancing the digital skills of the workforce to bring about long term productivity gains.

As time flies, people from all walks of life are apprehensive that the situation in the country may deteriorate further. At the moment, social distancing should be made mandatory to flatten the Corona-virus curve. Experts have also advocated that the Bangladesh government must take urgent action (e.g. partial or full lockdown) to fight the Corona-virus outbreak without further delay.


The writer is a columnist and researcher