No St Catherine COVID-19 control despite lockdown, cries PNP
Published:Friday | April 17, 2020 | 12:22 AM
The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) has labelled as a major misstep a lockdown implemented on Wednesday to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus, arguing that, while the plan seemed designed to prevent a spread to other parishes, it lacked strategies to limit a further spread within St Catherine itself.
In a digital press conference, hosted by Raymond Pryce yesterday, the PNP said that the Government’s actions were shortsighted and counterproductive. The other participants were Portmore Mayor Leon Thomas; South St Catherine Member of Parliament (MP) Fitz Jackson; North Central St Catherine MP Natalie Neita; Spanish Town Mayor Norman Scott, andSt Catherine East Central caretaker Dr Winston De La Haye.
Neita, who is also the opposition spokesman on local government, said the lockdown plans ran counter to the usual disaster-control protocol, with the exclusion of the local authorities under the benefit of community expertise to make informed decisions on activities.
While expressing full support for the decision to lock down the parish, which is now being seen as the epicentre of the local spread of the coronavirus, Neita said the measures seemed more designed to protect the rest of the country than protect uninfected residents of St Catherine.
“I am not seeing a level of mobilisation or activity to reduce the spread within the parish. So there is clearly a plan not to have the spread move from St Catherine to other parishes, but I am not seeing a plan within St Catherine to reduce the spread,” she said. “So I would have gotten up today and I would have seen in communities across St Catherine persons still gathering, persons still loitering, persons still engaged in their regular activities, without anyone giving directions, directives as to how it is that they themselves within St Catherine are to protect themselves.”