As the second wave of the deadly coronavirus looks to be in the offing, the government has given utmost importance to wearing a face mask. The authorities have also launched some mobile courts to enforce the decision. The mobile courts already penalised a number of people for not wearing masks. The fine or financial penalty brings some positive outcome as more people are now using face masks outdoor. Nevertheless, the tendency of not wearing face masks is still there. Even many are not wearing masks properly. That's why the government has finally warned that any person found not wearing masks defying the government directives 'will be liable to a jail term and fine'.
No doubt, wearing face masks in public places and on public transports will reduce the risk of the virus infection. When moving outdoor, people need to follow the health guideline to contain the spread of the virus. From the very beginning of the Covid-19, health experts have been urging all to wear masks. Unfortunately, a large section of people in this country cares little about the essential life-saving rule. Some of them even don't believe that coronavirus is so deadly. Instead, they argued that this is a common infection like seasonal flu and fever.
It is not the ignorance but the wrong attitude of people that drives them not to wear a facemask when they are roving around. In Bangladesh, many people don't follow the 'prevention is better than cure' policy. Moreover, trying to defy or ignore any social norm or rule is considered a sign of self-importance verging on audacity. This kind of attitude also reflects insensitivity to others.
Again, a good number of people also think that it is a hype as there is a low rate of death and infection in the country. Almost nine months after Bangladesh announced the detection of its first coronavirus patients, the number of officially confirmed Covid-19 cases reached to around 4.68 lakh on November 30. The country declared its first cases on March 8 and the early death on March 18. The death tally, however, stood at 6,675, keeping the mortality rate at 1.43 per cent, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). The rate of recovery also seems encouraging. Around 82.0 per cent or 383,224 patients have recovered so far.
Not many are, however, convinced of the authenticity of the official statistics, and they complain of underreporting of infection and death rates.
Such arguments and doubts, however, have not been substantiated. Nevertheless, the low death or infection rate doesn't mean that the virus is not deadly. According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Bangladesh is now the 26th worst-hit country in the world. That's why extreme precaution is needed to contain the spread of coronavirus. So, until and unless vaccines are easily available, wearing a mask properly as a defence against the virus is a must for all.
