At an event organised to mark the National Mourning Day on 15 August, health minister Zahid Maleque said, “Coronavirus will soon be gone as our physicians, nurses and health technologists have been working relentlessly as per our directives.”
Such a statement is unacceptable, especially at a time when COVID-19 cases are on the rise. The health minister’s irresponsible remark once again proves his sense of responsibility.
In the last 24 hours before the day he had made the statement, the rate of infection was 20.51 per cent. Among the 12,891 samples tested, 2,644 came positive while 44 people died. In the 24 hours preceding that day, the number of deaths was 40. The number of tests has gone down by a few thousands, but the rate of infection still remains the same.
We are not sure what made the health minister say that coronavirus will soon leave Bangladesh. Government data clearly indicate that infection rate is high and many people are dying outside the capital. The number of deaths is low because fewer tests are being done. But one cannot just say that it means the virus will soon leave the country. The countries that have been successful in containing the virus cannot say this either. The World Health Organisation hasn’t said that the danger is over, either.
The biggest danger of such a remark is that this may make people think that there is no need to maintain social distancing anymore. Already people have started ignoring the directives and at this rate things may get worse . That will push us toward a bigger danger and the situation may go out of control.
