WESTERN BUREAU:
While officials in some parishes are bemoaning the cavalier attitude of residents to the COVID-19 protocol, the authorities in Hanover are heaping praise on residents of the parish as it relates to quarantine and other health restrictions.

Kenisha Stennett-Dunbar, the parish coordinator for disaster preparedness in Hanover, told The Gleaner that checks across the parish have revealed that persons are abiding by the regulations with regard to social distancing and personal hygiene, among other protocols.

“I must tell you, too, in terms of the quarantine, persons staying at home, as it relates to the western region, Hanover is one of the most compliant, and this is information coming from the chief medical officer. Even though we have a few persons still going out, still gathering, it is not as dominant as in other parishes,” Stennett-Dunbar

“So persons now understand what quarantine means and how important it is to them, and they are, in fact, abiding by the law,” the parish coordinator emphasised.

Stennett-Dunbar said a collaborative effort is being made between several agencies, including the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC), the Disaster Preparedness Committee, the Social Development Commission (SDC), the Hanover Fire Brigade, the Hanover Health Department, and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), to educate the general public on the ways to avoid contracting the virus, and what to do if the virus is contracted.

“While we would love to have all residents fully compliant, and for the most part they are, I am sure that the JCF can attest to the fact that persons have been fairly compliant across this parish,” the health official, whose office has reported three people being followed as part of  the coronavirus containment protocol.

Mashario Bissasor, the SDC parish manager for Hanover, told The Gleaner that his organisation has been delegated the responsibility of sensitising the population across the parish about what to do to minimise the risk of being affected by the coronavirus.

“Our officers are working on the road, sensitising people about the risks involved and possible things that can be done to avoid the coronavirus; also we have a series of town crier announcements going on across the parish with the messages from the Ministry of Health for persons to adhere to,” he stated.

Bissasor explained that the sensitisation programme is all a part of a collaborative effort between the HMC, the Hanover Health Department and the Disaster Preparedness Committee within the parish.

NOTE: An earlier version of this story had incorrectly said the office of disaster preparedness in Hanover, has reported three cases of the coronavirus. In fact, the office had reported that three people were being followed as part of the containment protocol. We regret the error.