Of hugs, handshakes and coronavirus concerns

At a time when the government has declared shut down of educational institutions and discouraged gatherings as precautionary measures against the possible spread of coronavirus in the country, candidates for the upcoming port city polls seem unperturbed by it and are continuing to hold rallies and public meetings.

On March 16, Sheikh Fazle Rabbi, civil surgeon of Chattogram, at a press conference urged residents to refrain from such activities and warned of possible outbreak if cautionary measures are not taken in this regard.

But that did nothing to deter the mayor and councillor candidates and their supporters, as they remain busy holding gatherings to woo voters.

Some are even kicking it up a notch by not only shaking hands with residents but also embracing them, ignoring health experts' suggestion to avoid contact in light of the current situation.

Prof Dr Mahmudur Rahman, former director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), told The Daily Star that the government has urged all to avoid gatherings and shut down schools, sporting events and movie theatres to contain the virus spread.

"We must take necessary steps so that it [coronavirus] cannot spread in a large scale", said Dr Mahmudur, also an epidemiologist.

While talking to candidates and their supporters, some seemed worried while most tried to blame the Election Commission for not postponing the polls, slated to be held on March 29.

Yesterday, Manjurul Alam Talukdar, general secretary of Swecchasebok Dal (Chattogram south district), was seen campaigning for BNP candidate Shahadat Hossain in Jamal Khan area.

Wearing a mask, Talukdar was handing over leaflets to residents. "Of course I'm worried." he told this newspaper. "Such gathering could lead to getting infected," he added. "But we have no alternative to campaigning, as the Election Commission did not postpone the polls yet," he said.

Bahauddin, a member of pro-BNP organisation Sramik Dal (city unit), also blamed the EC for not deferring the polls.

Port city residents, however, were not that enthusiastic about the election-centric gatherings.

Kamrul Hasan, a resident of Jamal Khan area, suggested that the candidates conduct online campaigning. "They should be more sensitive about the present crisis," he added.

Rafik Ahmed of Asker Dighirpar area said, "I even told some candidates not to hold such gatherings in our area, but to no avail."

Contacted, Shahadat Hossain, who is also a practicing physician, said there is a tangible health risk during electioneering. "When we greet people during campaign, we shake their hands and embrace them. Being a politician, this is a common practice," he said.

He too advised the EC to take the situation seriously and urged them to ensure safety of voters as they are at risk of getting infected.

Considering the situation, he said, they have launched a web portal yesterday and asked their activists to campaign online.

Jannatul Islam of Islami Andolan Bangladesh said the candidates had a meeting with the chief election commissioner (CEC) on March 14. "The CEC did not shake our hands at the meeting… but we have to shake hands and hug voters when we meet them, otherwise they might think we are not on their side."

He also demanded deferment of polls, considering the situation.

The Awami League mayor candidate, on the other hand, had a different outlook on the issue.

"As the government has not declared the virus epidemic, there is no problem to hold the election on March 29," Rezaul Karim told this newspaper.

Yesterday, he campaigned in city's different wards. Rezaul, however, did not seem to have any precautionary measure planned during campaigning to tackle the situation.

When asked about the probable risk, he said there is no risk as every voter will have to wash their hands before casting vote in EVM.

But Tauhid Chowdhury, a resident of Pahartoli, was not convinced. "Will washing hands protect us from coronavirus infection when we stand in long queues with a huge number of voters at polling centres?" he asked.