This story first appeared in The Daily Star

Bangladesh is seeing another rise of Covid-19 cases. In the first five days of July alone, 32 Covid-infected patients died, according to the health directorate. As of 6pm July 5, our total caseload stands at 1,982,972 since the pandemic broke out in the country on March 8, 2020.

This scenario once again reminds us of the fact that we are still in the midst of a pandemic, although at times – especially when Covid is less active – we seem to lose sight of it and take on a more complacent approach in our fight against the pandemic.

For some time now, Europe, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia have been witnessing a rise in Covid, with Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 accounting for many of those cases. These two subvariants are highly contagious, classified as variants of concern by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and can easily navigate the immunity provided by previous infections and cause breakthrough infections.

Traces of BA.4 and BA.5 have also been found in Bangladesh. The Jashore University of Science and Technology was the first to report detection of the subvariants in June. And with the rising number of cases, the footprint of these subvariants has increased.

Under such circumstances, our immediate way forward is strictly reinforcing and adhering to safety guidelines. But even in this, there seems to be a reluctance on the government’s part. In view of the deteriorating situation, the National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) for Covid management in Bangladesh, during a meeting on June 14, recommended implementing six restrictions to curb the spread of the infection. However, it was not until June 28 – two weeks after the NTAC meeting – that the Cabinet Division issued a notification on the new restrictions. Given the urgency, why did it take two weeks for the authorities to issue the notification?

Similarly, people too seem reluctant to stay safe. They are hardly seen wearing masks out in public: on the roads, in public transport, inside shops, in the crammed lifts.

But then, masks are a luxury for some – especially for rickshaw-pullers, van-pullers, hawkers and day labourers, for whom meeting the daily basic needs is a challenge at present. And in the reality of inflation, for most – even in the middle class – masks would likely be at the bottom of the monthly grocery list. One needs to note here that masks are no longer VAT-exempted, meaning their prices have increased. Why the authorities made such a decision is another question which with no logic one can answer.

What is even more unfortunate is the irresponsible behaviour of the people and institutions we consider responsible. Big, crowded events such as Eid fairs, weddings, parties and official programmes are going on in full swing. Now, with Eid-ul-Azha coming up, Covid cases are expected to increase, because as usual, public transports will be operating in overcapacity; buses, launches, trains and trawlers will be overcrowded with homeward-bound people, turning them into the ideal hotbeds for Covid breeding.

In view of this, our healthcare professionals need to brace themselves for a new onslaught of Covid cases. Although the government has done a commendable job of vaccinating more than 70.4 percent of the population with two full doses of the coronavirus vaccine, it won’t be enough to stop the spread of the subvariants. A part of the solution could be in the bivalent vaccine, which is currently in development. Bivalent vaccine works by “stimulating an immune response against two different antigens, such as two different viruses or other microorganisms,” according to the National Cancer Institute in the US.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna to develop bivalent vaccines that could target both the original coronavirus strain, as well as the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, according to the FDA’s top vaccine regulator, Dr Peter Marks. The FDA is planning this for the autumn boosters. However, for countries like Bangladesh, the challenge would be to get the bivalent vaccines.

A two-pronged approach could cushion us from the shocks of the fourth wave of the pandemic. While complete lockdown is not a feasible solution, especially in view of the economic pressures we are already facing, we cannot also allow the situation to reach a point where the only solution is a hard lockdown. Therefore, at this point, what we need to focus on are strict implementation of social distancing and health safety protocols. Since the new variants are still active in small clusters, vigilant monitoring of cases, proactive contact tracing, immediate testing, and isolation where required would be key in preventing the new variants from spreading. At the same time, law enforcement officials need to strictly enforce social distancing guidelines. At the same time, VAT on masks should be withdrawn immediately. Rather, masks should be subsidised so that a greater number of our population can afford them.

Vaccination is the other component of this two-pronged solution. The government needs to ramp up efforts further to vaccinate the population with booster shots, and start immediate inoculation of children aged 5-12. Moreover, it should start working right away to secure the doses of bivalent vaccines, especially for the frontline workers and the elderly in order to provide them with the immunity required.

Comprehensive, combined and concerted efforts are our only weapons to overcome the fourth wave. With the holiday weekend coming up and then winter in a few months, vigilance, precaution and prevention should be our agenda to tackle the fourth wave of Covid infections.

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This story first appeared in The Daily Star

Bangladesh’s struggle with smuggling is not a new phenomenon – gold, drugs, humans, money, fuel, and now edible oil. In February, a lighter vessel, Tanisha Enterprise, was seized on the Karnaphuli river by Chattogram zone river police, which was carrying 11,000 litres of smuggled unrefined edible oil for sale in the open market. The value of the seized edible oil is estimated to be around Tk 8.80 lakh. The unrefined edible oil had been transferred to the lighter vessel from a mother vessel at the outer anchorage, which was carrying shipment for an edible oil company. Twelve people had been arrested during the drive for failing to produce any valid documents. The lighter vessel belonged to Harunur Rashid, a Jubo League leader in Ward-39 EPZ area of Chattogram, who also happens to be one of the leaders of the smuggling syndicate and its mastermind, as reported by the media. Although he was initially implicated in the case, no action has somehow been taken against him, and he is walking the streets and even attending political events as if he was a responsible, law-abiding citizen.

This incident has once again brought to the fore the problem of smuggling of imported goods from the ports. In December last year, in Pashur river, Mongla, another such drive exposed the smuggling of diesel from a mother vessel. The coast guard seized 2,760 litres of diesel in a trawler and held some of the smugglers. Unfortunately, it was not the first time oil was being smuggled. The harbour authorities of the Mongla port had informed the media that every month 80 to 90 local and foreign ships arrive at the port with goods and commodities from abroad, and leveraging this opportunity, a strong syndicate of criminals smuggles goods and commodities from the ships.

The same thing happened in Chattogram port. And there as well, on a regular basis, imported goods and commodities are smuggled from ships. What is baffling is that, although these are “known” facts, the authorities have done little to catch the smugglers and dismantle the syndicates. Perhaps that is because the smugglers are powerful people operating under the patronage of influential quarters. Take the case of Harunur Rashid, for example. Although the ship belonged to him and was being operated by him, he was not arrested in the case. According to reports, he got bail.

This not the first time that smuggled goods have been seized from Tanisha Enterprise. In August last year, in the estuary of the Karnaphuli river, 13,000 litres of unrefined palm oil had been seized from the same vessel by officials of the Coast Guard East Zone. Later, when the case was handed over to customs, no action was taken. Apart from this, Harun stands accused in at least four cases filed with the Patenga and EPZ police stations – this daily reported citing police sources.

Now, the questions is, if Harun is such a big shot criminal, donned with so many cases, how is he allowed to get away with his crimes scot-free? Why is he not behind bars, or being interrogated to unveil the bigger picture about the smuggling syndicate he operates?

Moreover, the Directorate General of Shipping issued licence for Tanisha Enterprise as a sand barge. Then why are food items, oil and other goods being shipped using Tanisha? Did they not check its license? Perhaps they did, but let it continue its operations because of the political patronage its owner enjoys.

And this is only one aspect of it. Selling of smuggled goods in the open market is a different kind of problem altogether. Take the case of edible oil, for example. The market for commodities, especially edible oil, has been volatile for the last few months due to the ongoing international crises. And the common people are having to bear the brunt of it, because of a lack of supply of edible oil in the market and its subsequent spiralling prices. The business syndicates are being accused of hoarding edible oil to manipulate its prices, and police have seized thousands of litres of edible oil in multiple drives across the country. The smuggling of imported unrefined edible oil creates additional layers of impediment in the supply chain, which is likely to push prices further up. Moreover, when goods are brought into the country through customs, the NBR is able to generate revenue from them in the form of applicable taxes and customs duty. And through the VAT imposed on goods, revenue is increased. By selling smuggled goods in the open market, the smugglers are depriving the nation of  revenue, and also creating an alternative supply chain which is outside the scope of the mainstream economy.

Unfortunately, the authorities seem to have lost sight of these facts, which is why they are allowing smuggling syndicates to operate without fear. In view of the repeated smuggling cases, the possibility of the various authorities – including the port authorities, coast guards, police, etc. – also being culpable cannot be ruled out.

The government should hold them accountable for their failure in stopping the smuggling and nabbing the criminals. Special drives should be conducted immediately to arrest the criminals. If political patronage is involved, then the patrons should also be brought to heel for their involvement. These smuggling syndicates should immediately be dismantled, before further wound is inflicted on the national economy.

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