Covid-19 Challenges and Responses in Bangladesh

Abstract

Covid-19 Challenges and Responses in Bangladesh Tasnia Alam (bio) Bangladesh has experienced highly adverse impacts from Covid-19, and its lower-middle-income economy and dense population have exacerbated the public health and economic challenges from the global pandemic. Bangladesh detected its first Covid-19 case in March 2020.1 As a preventive measure, the government closed international borders, educational institutes, industries, and offices. As a result, many people lost their jobs, and some city dwellers moved from urban to rural areas as they could no longer afford living expenses. Life has changed dramatically, in particular, for the ultra-poor who live from hand to mouth.2 According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Covid-19 dashboard, Bangladesh had 1,595,931 confirmed cases of Covid-19 from January 1, 2020, through January 10, 2022, with 28,105 deaths and 129,371,926 vaccinations administered. A total of 1,553,293 patients had recovered from the acute effects of the virus.3 On December 11, 2021, Bangladesh identified the Omicron variant in two Bangladeshi cricketers who had returned from Zimbabwe.4 Although data indicated a declining trend in reported cases and deaths in the fall of 2021, the new variant made the situation alarming again. To tackle the severity of the situation, the government imposed updated health guidelines for citizens in January 2022.5 [End Page 19] This essay discusses the challenges and impacts of Covid-19 in Bangladesh, a densely populated small state in South Asia that hosts the largest refugee camps in the world. It also examines the initiatives taken by policymakers to combat this unseen enemy. The final section describes possible solutions to current and post-Covid challenges. The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh Before the onset of the pandemic, Bangladesh's economy was growing at one of the world's quickest rates, with an average GDP growth rate of 7.4% over the last five years and 8.2% in 2019.6 The country experienced this higher-than-expected growth because of government policy reforms and a loosening of investment regulations. In 2019, domestic demand, including consumption and investment, climbed by 11.0%, while exports and remittances increased by 10.5% and 9.6%, respectively.7 Once the pandemic hit, the picture no longer looked so optimistic. According to an assessment on national food security by BRAC (an international NGO headquartered in Bangladesh), the country's farmers lost $6.66 billion during the 45-day lockdown between March and May 2020. In March 2020, the flow of inward remittances fell by 12% to $1.27 billion, and in April, it fell by 25% to $1.09 billion.8 Almost 1.4 million migrant workers abroad lost their jobs or returned to Bangladesh. Due to the pandemic, inward remittances to South Asia dropped by roughly 22.1% in 2020, and the World Bank forecasted that in 2020 regional growth would fall to between 1.8% and 2.8%, down from a projected 6.3%.9 Beyond the public health toll, Covid-19 has had a socioeconomic impact, crimping some thriving industries in Bangladesh such as the garment industry. Pre-pandemic, Bangladesh was the second-largest single exporter of ready-made garments (RMG).10 Due to factory closures [End Page 20] and supply chain disruptions as a result of the pandemic, Bangladesh has dropped to third place, trailing Vietnam. If the European Union is counted as a single unit, Bangladesh has slipped to fourth place, following China, the EU, and Vietnam, according to the World Trade Organization (WTO).11 As a result of the decline in RMG exports, in just the first few months of the pandemic Bangladesh lost $3.17 billion in foreign orders and approximately 70,000 workers became unemployed, with many others unable to receive their wages. Besides causing widespread unemployment, which exacerbates poverty, the pandemic has negatively affected RMG workers' physical and emotional health.12 Education is another sector that has been severely affected by the pandemic. Following some industrialized countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, Bangladesh shut down educational institutions to lower transmission rates during the pandemic.13 All educational institutions in Bangladesh remained closed...