Containment Zones: Incoordination behind fiasco

Over three weeks ago, the government had planned to enforce containment zones in the capital and three other major cities amid a spike in Covid-19 infections and deaths that came after the nationwide shutdown was lifted.

At a high-profile meeting on June 1, it also had decided to divide all the areas hit by the Covid-19 pandemic into three zones -- red, yellow, and green -- based on the severity of infections and death rates, and enforce lockdown in areas to be classified as "red zones". The move was to contain the spread of the deadly virus, which is taking a toll on the country.

Twenty-two days have elapsed since the meeting, but the authorities concerned have not been able to finalise a complete zone-based containment strategy. Therefore, the implementation of the zone-based lockdown in Dhaka -- the worst affected region with more than half of the confirmed coronavirus cases in the country -- remains uncertain.

Experts said indecisions and a lack of coordination among the government agencies dealing with the crisis are to blame for the situation, which has left people confused and panicked.

On top of it, the authorities, apparently in an uncoordinated manner, have issued a series of orders and instructions over the enforcement of lockdown in the last few days, further deepening the confusions, they said.

In a latest development, the public administration ministry on Sunday night announced a "general holiday" in 27 "red zone" areas in 10 districts. Those districts are Chattogram, Bogura, Moulvibazar, Chuadanga, Jashore, Madaripur, Narayanganj, Habiganj, Munshiganj and Cumilla.

According to the gazette notification, the holiday will be applicable to all institutions -- both government and private -- and their employees in those areas. Some of the areas have been under lockdown since June 11 while for some areas the lockdown will be effective for up to 21 days, it said.

Last night, the ministry issued another circular, announcing the holiday for 11 "red zones" in five other districts.

Talking to The Daily Star, a top official of the Directorate General of Health Services, however, said the notification was issued without the health ministry's consent.

"The areas have been placed in red zone based on preliminary discussions held immediately after businesses were reopened," said the official, wishing not to be named.

This newspaper could not reach Farhad Hossain, state minster for public administration, over phone yesterday for comments on the matter.

Meanwhile, public health experts are skeptical about the success of such lockdown now. According to them, the spread of the virus could not be stopped just by dividing areas into different zones and blocking entrances to them with bamboo.

The authorities must act fast to identify all the infected people, those with whom they came in contact and ensure that they stay in isolation, they said.

"There is a need for a rigorous programme in this regard. Otherwise, only imposing any lockdown will not work," Prof Nazrul Islam, a noted virologist and a member of the national technical advisory committee on Covid-19, told The Daily Star.

He said ensuring people maintaining health guidelines was more important that enforcing lockdowns.

The national technical advisory committee, at a meeting on June 10, had recommended imposing a complete lockdown in areas based on the number of infected people and the risks regarding transmission of the virus.

LOCKDOWN 'FIASCO'

After reporting the first three confirmed cases of Covid-19 on March 8, the government imposed a nationwide shutdown on March 26 to curb the spread of the virus. The shutdown, during which public transport services remained halted and public movement restricted, continued till May 30.

The authorities later allowed offices and businesses to reopen on a limited scale from May 31 to June 15 while public transport services resumed with condition that health guidelines would have to followed.

But as coronavirus infections and deaths have since surged to record highs, the government drew up the containment strategy on June 1 to impose fresh curbs by dividing areas into the three zones.

The administration and local government bodies will enforce lockdown, the authorities announced.

Several committees comprising police members, health officials, and social workers will be formed and the committees will be led by local representatives, according to government guidelines.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) started mapping the areas in the first week of this month.

But the process hit a snag as the authorities concerned didn't have data on the current population of certain areas and could not settle on a definition of coloured zones, said sources.

Though an "experimental zoning system" was launched in the capital's East Rajabazar and parts of Gazipur, Narayanganj and Narsingdi on June 10, mapping of areas across the country is yet to be completed, they mentioned.

In the meantime, a technical committee of the DGHS prepared a primary list of areas all over the country through colour-coded zoning and identified 45 areas in Dhaka North and South City corporations as red zones.

At a meeting on June 14, it also identified as red zones 11 areas in Chattogram city, the entire Gazipur district, and several upazilas in Narsingdi and Narayanganj.

A day later, the Cabinet Division issued a circular declaring general holiday in the red zones. This threw people into confusion as the notification, with effect from the following day, did not make it clear which areas to be flagged as red zones and from when.

It prompted people to rush to markets to buy essentials in fear of being confined to their homes any time.

As of yesterday, there was no official announcement on the list of areas to be classified as red zones or any specific date for imposing lockdown in such areas.

The authorities and local government bodies tasked with implementing lockdown in the capital are confused about the issue and are waiting for the micro-maps of zones currently being prepared by the DGHS.

Contacted, Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam said it's essential to provide them with zoning maps specifying particular areas so that they can take proper steps.

"We got the primary list earlier. But we have not yet got any specific zoning maps from the authorities concerned. We are waiting for it," he told The Daily Star.

The mayor mentioned that they would need 72-hours to complete preparations for lockdown after they get the list of specific areas.

Asked, DGHS Director General Prof Abul Kalam Azad said, "We have imposed lockdown in some areas on a pilot basis. Let's see the outcome... Then we will do it [lockdown] wherever and whenever it is needed."

About the public administration ministry's circular, he said, "They [the ministry] have taken some measures. We are now discussing more ways to implement the proposed area-wise lockdown. This is a continuous process."

Prof Nazrul Islam, however, thinks it has been tough for the authorities concerned to impose zone-based lockdown as they don't have complete geographical data on Covid-19 patients.

"Is there anyone who understands this science to implement such a programme? Officials [bureaucrats] are making decisions. We are in a dire situation because of a lack of coordination among them," the virologist pointed out.