Public transport super spreaders

As the Government prepares for the possibility of the full resumption of face-to-face education in September, public-health experts and educators are expressing concern about the health and safety of students, the majority of whom commute via public transportation. As such, they believe that a dedicated school-transportation system is essential.

The onset of COVID-19 forced the suspension of face-to-face learning in March 2020 and instruction continued remotely.

In May, schools were opened for face-to-face teaching to accommodate students sitting exit examinations.

Now, with little over a month to go for the new school term, Jamaica is in its third wave of the virus as daily COVID-19 cases steadily increase.

On Saturday, the country recorded 379 new cases, bringing the total number to 54,859. Of that number, 6,037 are active, with 272 patients hospitalised. The positivity rate now stands at a startling 37.8 per cent.

President of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS), Linvern Wright, said he was uncertain how COVID-19 protocols would be enforced in institutions given the “level of indiscipline that spans public transportation”.

In an effort to safely transport students to school, Wright said the Government may have to contract private buses to augment what exists in the public-transportation sector.

He said the current spike in COVID-19 cases is a threat to face-to-face resumption but it was critical as online learning has not been entirely effective in terms of access to learning and quality of education.

“We expect the Ministry of Education to seriously look at allocating the increased number of teachers needed to engage with students in face-to-face settings, where classes are now smaller and more teachers are needed,” Wright reasoned.

Occupational and public-health specialist Dr Alverston Bailey said that crowded transport has been shown worldwide to be a “super spreader” for the virus.

“We have to start thinking about what can be done to minimise the risk,” Bailey said.

He is recommending that dedicated buses, minibuses, and cars be assigned to transport students to and from school.

Each bus, he said, should be equipped with a COVID marshal to ensure that protocols are observed.

For minibuses and cars, he suggested that the Island Traffic Authority be invited to do regular spot checks.

Bailey also added that there should be no standing or overcrowding in these vehicles.

Further, students should enter their schools in single file and remain in their classroom bubbles.

Bailey said there should be no assembling, and physical education (PE) should be suspended.

END-TO-END SAFETY

Director of Mona Geoinformatics Institute Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee Jr told The Gleaner that geographic information system (GIS) mapping is important to show distribution of schools and students.

“Where people live and go to school are two things. The third is how they get between those places. From COVID-19 to road safety, public transportation safety is critical to ensure that people using them do not become affected. My concerns relate to distance and time spent on public transport as well as logistics related to changing buses,” he explained.

He added that it was critical for the protocols that will be laid out come September to be strictly adhered to and enforced.

“It makes no sense to make students adhere to wearing masks at school and then drop the ball once they’re outside the school gate. There needs to be an understanding that COVID-19 safety is an end-to-end thing – home to bus to school gate to classroom and back again,” Lyew-Ayee Jr said.

According to the jamcovid19 website, over 2,800 Jamaican children, ages zero to nine, have contracted the virus and more than 4,100 between the ages of 10 and 19.

COVID TRAINING

Meanwhile, professor of public health and health technology Winston Davidson recommends that drivers and conductors go through a training programme ahead of the new school term.

Davidson said that keeping COVID infections under control, especially among children, when schools are reopened will require the vigilance of the traffic police to ensure that buses and taxis are not overcrowded.

Protocols in the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) place restrictions on the number of standing and seated passengers in public transportation.

“Spacing may be a difficulty but I suppose that once they are properly sanitised and they are wearing masks, then as many seats can be used, especially if they are not travelling very far distances. Also, because they are open to ambient temperatures – the wind blowing through the windows – it is not an enclosed space, so that is to the advantage of our children,” said Davidson.

The professor added that students could become more vulnerable if highly transmissible COVID-19 variants are confirmed in Jamaica.

“The movement of persons is what exposes them to greater risk of getting the disease and, therefore, during the period when they are being transported, the highest level of precaution has to be taken. The adults who drive the children must, in fact, be protected. I think that the transport system and the different taxi operators should ensure that their drivers who are transporting children do get their vaccines so long as it is available,” he said.

Davidson found support in the principal of Old Harbour High School, Lynton Weir, who urged adults and public-transport operators to get vaccinated.

Weir told The Gleaner that the “transportation puzzle” is not an easy one to solve and will require personal responsibility to chart the way forward.

“At the end of the day, it is going to boil down to how we protect and preserve lives. While I am pushing for vaccination, I am also asking our Jamaicans to wash their hands and wear their masks,” Weir urged.

Professor Davidson also encouraged parents and guardians to spend time educating their children about the importance of following the protocols.

He said that informed children are better able to make decisions in their best interest such as being less likely to board a bus or taxi with a driver who is not wearing a mask.

“Parents should also set an example. If the vaccine is available, for heaven’s sake, tek it!” the public-health professor appealed.

The Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC) will be increasing its fleet of buses for the reopening of school and the associated uptick in ridership.

However, managing director of the state-owned bus company, Paul Abrahams, could not provide the exact number of buses to be added as work is still under way in the maintenance department.

Before the onset of COVID-19, more than 200,000 people within the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region, Spanish Town, and Portmore travelled on JUTC buses daily.

Abrahams said existing protocols would continue to be followed, and the JUTC would welcome any additional measures from the health ministry.

judana.murphy@gleanerjm.com