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Lest we forget the lessons of Covid 19…

Published : Thursday, 23 July, 2020 at 12:00 AM  Count : 2640
Md Zahangir Alam
More than fourteen million people have been infected and six lac have already been died worldwide from Corona Virus Disease (Covid 19). A big number indeed! Undoubtedly, the real number is higher than that. Still no drug is proved to be appropriate for its treatment. From the underdeveloped to developed, poor to rich, young to old, all have become vulnerable to Covid 19.  The whole world is just struggling to challenge Coronavirus. So far only a few countries could manage it with little loss. Unfortunately, Covid 19 death toll in our country crossed 2500 by this time. Nobody knows its destination. Only the Almighty knows the best.

A lot of hypotheses and debates exist on spreading of Covid 19. According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, the most important way to protect coronavirus is to wash hands with soap for 20 seconds. It does not mean washing hands with liquid hand soap only. Rather for washing hands to protect virus so called low grade soaps of lower prices are also well enough.  Every day in the media a lot of advertisements regarding this issue; but awareness is not found to be developed. Not only Islam but also other religions emphasize on cleanliness. Our Prophet Mohammed (SM) urged to wash hands frequently and especially after some clearly defined tasks.  For Muslims wudhu (ablution) before five times prayer is the best practice to remain clean always. Covid 19 has taught us how to wash hands. We should follow personal hygiene not only during the Pandemic but also it should be our daily habits.

Using mask is another mandatory option to protect ourselves from Coronavirus. Even in some non-muslim countries using Hijab to cover faces has been encouraged. Mask not only protects Coronavirus but also acts as a safeguard to protect particulate matters. A lot of particulates are floating in the air. Particulates of less than 10 micrometer in size are very harmful for our health. Unfortunately, the concentration of particulate matters in the air of Dhaka City is much higher than the standard recommended by WHO and the Department of Environment (DoE), Bangladesh. But, consciousness of using mask is not found in our country. Many people are seen to use mask without covering their noses and mouths. Many are moving carelessly without mask. We see the cruelty of Covid 19 every day losing our near and dear ones. But, still we are not committed to protect ourselves and the environment as well. Time has come to change our outlook and nature. Otherwise, methinks we will have to suffer a lot in the near future.  

Before Covid 19 Pandemic the term sanitizer, disinfectant, bleaching, etc were not familiar to all.  Earlier sanitizer was used only by high society or highly health conscious people. Now, what can we see? In drugstores, grocery stores, supermarkets, convenience stores and even on the road side gloves, sanitizers, masks and other health safety equipments are available. Some of them don't have the standard qualities and are not manufactured following its standard procedure. Even some of them are made of chemicals that are harmful for human health. It is heinous that many people use the pandemic as a means of their income ignoring their ethical values. We should not forget that we will have to be accountable for our deeds; good or bad.

Social distancing, quarantine and isolation are very common terms used largely during the pandemic. Social distancing means physical distancing, but not mental that is nicely advertised through music, short films etc in social media. We should follow social distancing not only during Covid 19 Pandemic but also always. In the markets, public transports, public gatherings people are seen to make embarrassing situation. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to celebrate some New Year Programs and other national festivals in Japan. Thousands of people were seen to get together near the Castle to celebrate the program. But, I did not see police to manage them. No doubt Tokyo Station is one of the busiest and crowded stations in the world. I saw people running without touching each other. In the train same situation is observed. It's a matter of mentality and practice. Let's try to maintain physical distancing remaining mentally closer from each other.

Due to the fear of spreading Coronavirus most of us living in mega cities have prohibited the entries of maids into our apartments. But, we should also support our dependents so that they could also survive in the pandemic. Now we have to wash our clothes, clean our rooms by ourselves regularly. Undoubtedly, it is a good practice.

During this Pandemic most of our time is being passed with our family members. Through social media we come to know how people are making their time worthy for their family members. Time will pass either we utilize it or not. Time is the most precious gift for us. We should utilize it properly. We should respect the needs of our families.  In fact, our family members not only expect money from us but also they expect quality time that is mostly ignored because of our busy schedule.
 
Year 2020 and 2021 were supposed to be full of joy and happiness for us. The whole country was preparing to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of its independence and the 100th birthday of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The University of Dhaka, the highest educational institution of the country is going to celebrate its centenary. We all were busy to make the events colorful and fruitful. But, suddenly all plans have been just messed up due to Covid 19 Pandemic.

From the beginning of the Pandemic we all are fighting with our limited resources. It is really tough to manage such situation for a developing country like us. We should acknowledge the sacrifices of our front line fighters. Many of us are delivering lectures, attending offices and meetings through Zoom and other social media. But, front line fighters are directly working putting their lives and families at risk to save lives of Covid 19 patients and keep us safe. Every day we see the news of humanity as well as cruelty in the media. We simply knew the literary meaning of pandemic, but we could never realize its severity. Covid 19 reminds us the Pandemics of Plague in 1820, Spanish Flu in 1918-1920 and so on in the past.

Covid 19 has proved that science, technology, wealth, power have limitations. These are not enough for our lives. Because of Covid 19 every day we are losing our near and dear ones. The humankind has become feeble to microscopic viruses. It seems we all are just looking forward to the Super Power.  We should not be frustrated or tensed. Rather we should be mentally strong and sincere in our respective duties. Certainly, Coronavirus will be abolished from our nice planet soon. We will have again normal life with new hopes. Covid 19 Pandemic has taught us a lot that we should not forget to have a better future.
Md Zahangir Alam is a professor of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the University of Dhaka








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