Lockdown, a priority to save life!

So strange and frustrating indeed to experience an unfair battle like the one being faced by the world with Covid-19 pandemic. The infections have been fluctuating up and down every single day, whereas the death records have been mostly raising up.

At the local front, such scenario has brought a warning call to the whole nation, if truth has to be told. Spreading more panic and fear among people with an alarming daily statistics of Covid-19 cases, which are released by the Ministry of Health.

Different procedures and measures have been implemented, striving to combat the spread of coronavirus. Some have been very effective, while some had undergone trial and error method to bring them into force at the right time. Thanks to the Supreme Committee, concerned about following up the developments of coronavirus in the Sultanate, for sparing no effort to lead the battle against this pandemic. With the committee’s regular decisions and directions, luckily the nation has been surviving well through hard times.

With the partial lockdowns being put in place every now and then as one of the key precautionary measures to curb the spread of the virus, here comes now the full lockdown. The recently announced partial lockdown started from July 16 until end of this month, while full lockdown will be in force during the four-day Eid Al Adha holiday. As a first national experience, the full lockdown has been debatable for long time, reflecting the public’s belief it could help in slowing down the infection rates. Though, the Supreme Committee was not commending it for the expected unlikable impacts of such a measure.

During the various stages of fighting the pandemic, the partial lockdown was implemented as one of the effective tools to control the rate of infections in the Sultanate and stay on a good track of record. Actually, it could help loosen the burden on the healthcare sector, saving energy and spirits of the medial teams and controlling public compliance to precautionary measures too. Undoubtedly, it served in reducing the number of infections and deaths in different times since the start of this globally challenging pandemic.

For the first time ever in the Sultanate, the Supreme Committee has decide to put the whole nation under a 4-day lockdown. Such decision is attributed to the highly increasing infections and deaths seen recently in the country. Although, it has been avoided and kept as the last option, but time has come now to impose full lockdown. Otherwise, the health situation would lead to, God willing, a crisis in hospitals, where life of many patients cases could be lost.

In contrast, many people are not inclined to full lockdown, especially it came at a time when public is observing Eid al Adha. Those are probably seeing half of the picture, rather than looking at the bigger picture of the full lockdown, which could bring positive impact for people and the nation alike.

In fact, the lockdown becomes a significant necessity when the healthcare system is at risk of becoming overwhelmed to prevent avoidable disease and deaths, as a result of lack of medical resources. Hence, it marks a non-avoidable option to sustain the stability of life in the country. Sacrificing people’s personal interests and preferences is much easier than putting the national resources at high risk, which might lead to losing the battle against Covid-19.

The priority here comes to save the lives of the people; those admitted in hospitals and others in intensive care units (ICUs). Not only hospitalised patients, but others who would potentially catch the virus need medical support. Thus, one should always look at the full picture from all angles. Likewise, the call here has not been taken to entertain individuals’ interests, but to respond to a national responsibility and an advice from medical experts.