Factory owners talk of the market, what about workers’ safety?

We have been living in the face of the COVID-19 threat for the past two months. This uncertainty brings to mind another period of uncertainty, the liberation war of 1971. But the enemy was visible then and so we were united and active against the foe. We knew what was to be done.

Now, however, the situation is so much more uncertain. The enemy is not visible. We do not know what to do against it and we are not united. The situation in China, Italy, Span, the UK and the US is alarming. We are anxious about the future. We can’t help but think, if such wealthy countries are unable to deal with the enemy, what will we do?

However, we can keep in mind, Vietnam is not a very rich country, but it has brought things under control. India’s Kerala state has also done well. They gathered together all state and social power to take timely and appropriate measures and so managed to tackle the pandemic.

We also have taken up many of the World Health Organisation directives, albeit a bit late. But the implementation process has been weak and so the results have not been satisfactory. Weaknesses in our governance are apparent.

There is a lack of coordination among government agencies as well as within the non-government sector. Many NGOs and individuals are distributing testing kits, ventilators and PPE but have no idea of how to coordinate. And so we are not making optimum use of our efforts.

From the data and numbers of coronavirus cases, it seems this is just the tip of the iceberg. Health experts cannot determine for certain when the lockdown can be lifted. The options before the government are all risky. For example, opening up the readymade garment factories and other industries. The readymade garment factory owners talk about the risks of losing the market. The working people talk about the risk of losing their jobs. But who will talk about the health and safety of the workers? If the number of coronavirus cases increases significantly due to the opening of the factories, the state will have to take responsibility. If the workers demonstrate, the government must take their anger into consideration.

The various agencies of the government are under tremendous pressure. The law enforcement agencies are taking risks beyond their duty. Our inadequate health system is under tremendous pressure dealing with the pandemic. On one hand there is a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), and on the other there is a lack of trained personnel. We can hope that this pandemic will bring about huge changes in the health system. It is clear that we cannot handle such pandemics with such an inadequate health system.

The agencies of the government that are providing relief are also under pressure. There are allegations of corruption and misappropriation of the relief materials.

It is not possible for the state to handle everything alone. When the government manages to draw together all sectors, that is, the private sector, the NGOs, the civil society organisations and social organisations, then such situations can be handled more successfully. This happened in Vietnam and Kerala. The entire nation has been affected by the pandemic and everyone much be included in efforts against it. COVID-19 should give rise to that realisation.

The government is looking into how much longer the lockdown will continue. How and when can it be listed, what are the risks involved – economic, social and political – all these question must be taken into consideration.

One dilemma has been raised again and again - what comes first, lives or livelihood? It must be stressed here, the countries that have given priority to saving lives and taken steps in this regard, have later managed to give due attention to the question of livelihood.

Rounak Jahan is a social scientist and distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue