Paul Wright | More needs to be done about coronavirus

The world pandemic of coronavirus has not reached our shores as yet. This has caused some Jamaicans to be of the opinion that “so far we are okay”.

That statement is statistically true, so far, mainly because we have not been testing all those coming to our country from places that have recorded citizens with the virus. Replying to the question ‘what tests were done on arrival at the airport?, one athlete returning to this island from an extended stay in a country where the virus has been found in citizens, is reported to have said, ‘We filled out a form and had our temperature taken.”

Remarkable.

It seems as if those in charge of alerting the nation about precautions and what to do if a virus carrier is identified in Jamaica, is satisfied with taking a chance, gambling with the health of all of us. So far, the gamble seems to be paying off.

However, one truism that every gambler knows is that eventually, you lose. Coronavirus tests need to be available to citizens in every parish. The insistence of personal hygiene and the mandatory frequent washing of one’s hands will reduce the possibility of a public health crisis here. The fact that the novel coronavirus is not “droplet spread” makes the wearing of masks by individuals who do not have upper respiratory symptoms (coughing and spitting) a cruel waste of meagre resources.

Matter of priority

Masks cost money, and their use should not be encouraged when patently not necessary. Instead, the resources that are now being used for the purchase and availability of hand sanitisers, which are turning up more often at places that are open to the public, is a much better prioritising of available cash.

The attention grabber to sport-loving Jamaicans is the future of important events on the horizon.

The Summer Olympics due to take place in Japan is now on red alert, as the International Olympic Committee and Japanese Government are weighing the enormous financial implications of no Olympics versus the health and well-being of participants and attendees.

Will we hear that “money talks and health walks”?

Nearer home, Champs and local football are a potential concern. The gamble that no positive test will be recorded in Jamaica is, for now, paying dividends, but it seems to me that more can be done at our ports of entry to ensure a virus-free nation.

Our influential neighbour to the north, after being alerted about the outbreak in China months ago, dilly-dallied until it reached the continent. Now a frantic distribution of resources and Coronavirus kits have yet to stem what seems to be an inevitable spread of the disease. The one fact that has escaped some experts is that carriers of the virus, in some cases, have no visible symptoms, but carry the disease and can spread it to unsuspecting contacts. The so-called community spread is real, and that is what makes our vigilance at our ports of entry yearning for resources and seriousness.

So, it is on to Champs and other events that encourage mass gatherings. In Europe and other countries where their testing have confirmed an increase in cases, events are being cancelled/postponed, or being completed behind closed doors – no spectators. This will drive those sports that are dependent on spectator-driven revenue contemplating a future bereft of cash. Not pretty!

So, what to do? Increased vigilance at our ports of entry especially with those coming from areas where citizens have tested positive for the virus, availability of testing facilities islandwide, and continued insistence of the use of hand sanitisers and hand washing. There is little more that we can do, so let us pray.