Immediate lockdown is the only way out

About 10 or 11 years ago I suddenly had an attack of vertigo. Everything seemed to spin around me, even when I lay down. I went to quite a renowned physician with my problem. He prescribed me some drugs which brought the vertigo under control, but left me so weak, I could hardly move.

A few days later I went to the ENT specialist Zahir Al-Ameen. He used to watch my TV talks-shows. He asked me how things were in the country and we shared a few laughs. He then made me lie down and pressed my face to one side, holding it in that position for some time. He finally released me and told me to go home.

I asked, "No medicines?" He replied, "No, you are cured."

"What?"

"You are fine."

"Will I be able to play tennis?"

"Yes."

"Today?"

"Right now."

Skeptical, I left his chamber and climbed down the stairs. My head didn't spin a bit. He said that a particle had gone up my nose and got stuck and that is why my head has been spinning so badly. He had pressed by head to one side and brought it up through one of my ears. Voila! I was cured.

It seemed impossible but I began to believe him. I even screwed up the courage to play lawn tennis that evening. Everything was normal.

I have related this story to explain Zahir Al-Ameen's brilliance as a physician and also to say that from that day on, I have unshakable faith in him. He recently established an ultramodern hospital. I had a nose surgery there this February. After my surgery, we were chatting and he said that it was not true that corona did not survive at 26 degrees Celsius. He said, corona will certainly come to Bangladesh. He added that the country didn't have the minimum infrastructure to treat corona patients or even detect the virus.

I spoke to him two days ago. He explained to me in detail that there was no alternative for Bangladesh now other than a complete lockdown. We would be able to be saved to a considerable degree with a complete lockdown, with everyone remaining at home for 28 to 35 days. He explained how a corona patient could infect three others and this would multiply and a few million people in Bangladesh would be infected. The damage could be significantly reduced if people remained completely at home for 28 days. By then all patients with corona and their affected families members would recover (with the death rate being around 3 per cent).

If there is no complete lockdown, a few million people can be gradually affected and a few hundred thousand may die. This would be a few hundred times more than if there is a complete lockdown.

With a lockdown it will be 10,000 affected people, and without a lockdown it will be one million.

Dr Zahir's explanation sent shivers up my spine. I feel everyone should feel the same.

Since these fears are not unfounded, the lockdown should start immediately. The government must feed the needy people for 28 days. If they could do this in West Bengal, this surely can be done in Bangladesh which had twice the budget. If need be, we can all come forward. If we, the teachers of Dhaka University, even donated two days' salary, that would amount to over Tk 10 million.

I am willing to pay an entire month's salary. There are many people who can afford much, much more. There are big companies and business houses. There are wealthy garment industrialists. Can we not get together to feed the 10 million ultra-poor families? Surely we can. If the government takes sincere initiative, everyone will come forward.

There is really no alternative to this. There is no alternative to a complete lockdown. Enough damage has been done already by leaving the airports unprotected, by not taking the returning expatriates into account, by allowing religious, political and state gatherings, by sending people all over the country from Dhaka in hordes. This state does not have the capacity to detect and identify such a huge number of people. Whatever little capacity it has is not enough. So a complete and immediate lockdown is the only answer.

* Asif Nazrul is a professor of the law department at Dhaka University. This piece has been rewritten in English by Ayesha Kabir.