Despite indications that the novel coronavirus is being tackled forcefully by the Chinese authorities, fears persist about the ramifications of the ailment around the world. What certainly complicates conditions is the clear helplessness of political as well as medical authorities across the globe to find the means of tackling it effectively and immediately. There have been a good number of deaths from coronavirus in China and a lot more people, not only in China, but in as many as twenty six countries, have been affected by the disease. There are reports of Bangladeshis who happen to be abroad to have been touched by it. An ominous sign of what may well threaten to broaden out into greater danger is the fact that coronavirus has made its way to Italy. For their part, the Iranian authorities have denied the existence of any virus-affected individual in their country.

There is little gainsaying that the authorities in China, clearly embarrassed by coronavirus taking roots in Wuhan, have adopted several desperate measures to contain the spread of the disease. The fact that the disease has now travelled beyond China is a sign of the risks that people globally are now faced with. In other words, coronavirus is now no more peculiar to China but is a matter of grave concern for every individual inhabiting the planet. It has had governments and people everywhere worried. The WTO has been in overdrive trying to devise the ways and means by which coronavirus can be rolled back. Here in Bangladesh, we seem to have been luckier given that there have so far been no reports of the disease affecting our citizens. We hope conditions will stay that way.

But let there be no complacence in the matter of being alert to the consequences of the disease. It is appreciable that the health authorities on a day-to-day basis have been updating the nation about the steps being taken to handle coronavirus, especially with regard to security measures as well as dealing with arrivals at the airport from countries where coronavirus may already have made landfall. The severity of the disease cannot be overemphasized, as gathered from the government's response. The measures now in place to prevent coronavirus from entering the country must not only be maintained but maintained at the highest level. At this point of economic progress in the country, we simply cannot afford to be thrown off track by such dangers as coronavirus.

Finally, it should be noted that for many and especially in the West, coronavirus appears to have become a weapon to beat the Chinese with. That is unfair. Moreover, there are certainly the exaggerations which have accompanied some of the reports in the western media. The need today is to stay away from exploiting this unfortunate virulence known as coronavirus as propaganda and instead put heads together in finding a cure for the ailment.

Coronavirus is a common concern everywhere. Let us deal with it from such a perspective.