Acting Director of Emergency Medical Services in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr Kurdell Espinosa Campbell, says the Government intends to put additional safety measures in place for the operation of day-care facilities before they are allowed to fully reopen.
She was addressing a digital town hall hosted by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development on July 23.
Day care centres are allowed to resume operations for an initial two-week period beginning July 21, once they are in full compliance with the coronavirus (COVOD-19) protocols stipulated by the Ministry.
Espinosa Campbell underscored that while childcare operators, even before the onset of COVID-19, generally take great care to ensure that their facilities are properly sanitised, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed.
“The Environmental Health Team [at the Ministry], we have to sit down and define some clear parameters for [full] reopening,” she said, noting that the Paediatric Association of Jamaica and other specialist groups must also be consulted.
She said that the measures will take into account the different stages of development of children at these facilities.
“You have some pre-verbal children; they may listen, but they cannot necessarily speak and you have children who are up and running. Their natural tendency developmental-wise is to touch. They touch their mouth, their hands and contaminate surfaces,” she pointed out.
Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, for his part, said that the disaster risk management orders, including those for the operation of day-care facilities, will be put under review on July 31.
“Once we are satisfied, based on the constant inspection that we are doing, that everything is in order, then it can be recommended for a further extension [into] another period,” he said.
- JIS News
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