Ministers have no idea what measures could be taken to check spread of virus

ROAD Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Wednesday that lockdown may be enforced to prevent further spread of coronavirus. In the first place he is not the Health Minister to be familiar with the problem. Even if the Health Minister is failed, it proves that the government does not know which minister has what responsibility. On health matters authentic policy suggestions should come from the Health Minister whether he is competent or not. The coronavirus pandemic is taken so seriously in some countries that it is the head of the government who is obliged to hold press conferences with specialist to help him explain the development on a daily basis. But in our country such briefing is absent though it is the government’s responsibility to keep the people well-informed. The people are confused and frustrated because they do not know where to look for help. The government machinery is yet to gear up as it is not taken the matter seriously. That sadly shows the government is also not serious. In a way it is good that at least the Road Transport Minister has shown his concern.
To put the whole country in lockdown is not an easy decision. It has many implications and it may cause many problems that must be tackled. In other countries it is not just police decision to impose lockdown. Various measures have to be taken to ease the suffering of the people. It is different if the ministers think that other people’s inconvenience does not matter. Supplies of essentials have to be sent to the families undergoing quarantine. Labourers must receive money for not being able to work. We are certainly not saying that no decision is necessary for lockdown. But for our ministers to decide in favour of lockdown have to know how to implement that. For causing sufferings to the general public we do not need help from the ministers. They have already created enough mismanagement everywhere. Only corruption is going on systematically and unfettered. The government has not been able to provide protective gear to doctors and nurses for their own protection for looking after the coronavirus patients. Some 200 interns of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital have stopped attending to patients, demanding personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep themselves safe from contracting coronavirus.
So the government itself is disorganised to deal with the pandemic. The people do not see visible signs for arranging adequate preparations for mobilising internal and international resources to be of help at this hour of maximum peril. The fear is, we may lose lives in thousands. A powerful country like the USA, in spite of its vast resources, fears that it may lose the lives of some twenty lakhs.