• Business
  • Education
  • General
  • Social
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Jamaica Says…
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Factions
No Result
View All Result
  • Business
  • Education
  • General
  • Social
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Jamaica Says…
  • Business
  • Education
  • General
  • Social
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Jamaica Says…
No Result
View All Result
Factions
No Result
View All Result
Home

Who to Blame for the Coronavirus Spike in Jamaica?

Trevann Hamilton by Trevann Hamilton
October 4, 2020
in General
0
Who’s Causing the COVID-19 Spike?
0
SHARES
62
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Trevann Hamilton

By Trevann Hamilton

At the time this article was written Jamaica would have confirmed 6,555 cases with 4,363 of them being active cases. Unfortunately, 111 lives have been lost as a result of this virus and by the look of things, more lives will be lost in the coming months. 

READ ALSO

New Year?

Reflecting on the Year 2020 for Jamaica

The Ministry of Health (MOH) declared in September that we were experiencing community spread. Christopher Tufton, Minister of Health, was quoted in an article on the MOH website saying, “Community transmission means the inability to relate confirmed cases through chains of transmission for a large number of cases, and the increasing positive tests through sentinel samples, especially from persons coming to health centres and hospitals.”

He continued by saying, “In making this declaration, we are alerting the public that the transmission of the virus can no longer be easily traced from one member of the population to the other and that the concern for the transmission for COVID-19 is now islandwide.”

The article further explains that the country will see an increase in cases over the next few weeks.

So whose fault is it?

First of all, community spread was probably inevitable with all things considered. Every time the daily number of positive cases goes over 200 or even comes close to it, there is a hot debate on social media over whether or not the increase is as a result of personal irresponsibility or government irresponsibility. People debate for hours saying it is one or the other but I’m wondering why can’t it be both?

The Government’s Role

The government’s job is to put things in place to protect us – plain and simple. On one hand, they have put in place a curfew, instructed the elderly to stay at home, and instructed us to wear masks. I also appreciated the quarantining of particular communities that had high numbers of cases. 

However, calling an election in the middle of a pandemic is not exactly advantageous to the fight against the coronavirus. People are hesitant to say the elections had anything to do with the rise in cases for a variety of reasons. Some may say that at their polling station there wasn’t a crowd and so this rise has nothing to do with the election. First of all, we’re in the phase of community spread. Unless COVID-19 is intelligent enough to respect democracy, there is no way to be 100% sure that the election and the election day activities didn’t contribute to the spread at all.

As a matter of fact, election day and nomination day usually means parties and gathering of people. Did the politicians have motorcades for the streets and sidewalks? No. It was for people who would naturally have gathered. I’m aware that in some instances, masks were given out but encouraging social distancing in those instances, while it’s the right thing to do, was likely to fall on deaf ears. 

In addition to that, just as how the Easter weekend had strict rules, so should have the ‘Emancipendence’ weekend. Obviously, people were going to party and gather during that time. They weren’t allowed to but knowing that many would have, should have ushered in some new protocols. 

Another thing I found interesting is how quick we were to close our borders to China in the beginning of the outbreak but opened to the United States when COVID-10 was raging (and still is..). I’m well aware that we need tourism revenue. There have been so many instances that have shown us that full reliance on tourism is not a great idea but here we are with another example.

Okay, fine. Our borders couldn’t stay closed indefinitely. That wouldn’t work. However, testing at airports should be mandatory and the two-week quarantine should be closely monitored and better enforced. People have always done what they wanted to do. For example, people don’t wear seatbelts even they should. But what does the state do? We fine people and find ways to encourage people to do the right thing. I’ll admit this has been done by the government. Many persons have been fined for breaching quarantine. Perhaps too many persons are coming in, making it hard for all to be tracked and monitored, but something has got to change. 

Are people still being checked for masks on the road?

I also feel that working from home should be mandatory (for those who can) instead of being a mere suggestion. We know managers like to micromanage their employees but their need to micromanage is not more important than people’s health and safety.

I was pretty disappointed the last time protocols were being read out because it felt as though there was nothing much being done despite the spike in cases. I am aware that we’re in a recession and can’t afford to not capitalize on economic activity but lives matter too. 

What We Have Been Doing Wrong

It would be totally disingenuous of me to say that we don’t all have personal responsibility. Of course, we do. I cannot imagine that people can even entertain the thought of being in a crowd when we’re recording 1,000 new cases per week. I know humans are social creatures and it’s natural for us to meet up and socialize but there are ways to do this safely. Not only are people gathering, but they’re also not wearing their masks. For some reason, Whatsapp messages that say masks have mics in them and that they’re harmful resonate more with people than scientists and health officials begging them to wear a mask. 

The conspiracy theories surrounding masks are absolutely ridiculous. There are people who have always worn masks for hours at a time for their jobs and they are fine. 

People complain that they want the coronavirus to go away but are doing everything in their power for it to stay. You can’t want the virus to leave and not follow protocols that will reduce the risk of spread. That doesn’t make any sense. Wearing a mask is half of the solution, washing your hands (which you should be doing anyway) shouldn’t be that hard. 

I also can’t understand how people come into the country they claim to love and risk other people’s lives. They risk other people getting sick and overwhelming our healthcare system and for what? Beach trips and drives to KFC? We can’t afford to be that selfish. If you’re told to quarantine for two weeks in order to save lives, then do it. I’m well aware persons might be staying in dwellings where people are close but if we were all wearing our masks then the risk would be reduced. 

I have not gone out to socialize since February. I have never left my house without a mask. I have been washing my hands very frequently and sanitizing everything. But yet, everything is getting worse. There is nothing more I can do personally. I am just deeply annoyed with how this virus is being handled by everyone. 

Conclusion

I don’t have all the answers and that’s okay because it’s not my job to have the answers. The idea that people can’t complain without having viable solutions is ludicrous. It’s absolutely not my job to come up with solutions. The only thing I can do is follow the protocols and hope everyone does too. 

We want to hear from you! Send feedback to commentary@factionsja.com.

Tags: Community Spreadcovid-19curfewMinistry of HealthquarantineSpike

Related Posts

New Year?
General

New Year?

January 3, 2021
38
Reflecting on the Year 2020 for Jamaica
General

Reflecting on the Year 2020 for Jamaica

December 27, 2020
87
St. Kitts and Nevis Inspiring the Region with Energy Transition Projects
General

St. Kitts and Nevis Inspiring the Region with Energy Transition Projects

December 20, 2020
29
Bad Roads Are Expensive

Bad Roads Are Expensive

November 18, 2020
27
Do We Really Understand Voter Apathy?

Do We Really Understand Voter Apathy?

November 11, 2020
25
Journalist Killings in Latin America and the Caribbean: Adjusting Perspectives

Journalist Killings in Latin America and the Caribbean: Adjusting Perspectives

November 5, 2020
51
Exploring Restorative Justice

Exploring Restorative Justice

October 28, 2020
98
Kudos to Prime Minister Mottley

Kudos to Prime Minister Mottley

October 21, 2020
81
Disaster Reduction and Management in Contemporary International Relations

Disaster Reduction and Management in Contemporary International Relations

October 16, 2020
53
Next Post
Hands-On Parenting for Online Schooling

Hands-On Parenting for Online Schooling

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

POPULAR POSTS

Twisted Logic… Politics Before Health?

Twisted Logic… Politics Before Health?

September 1, 2020
345
Renting in Kingston

Renting in Kingston

September 1, 2020
322
2020 General Election – Election With A Difference

2020 General Election – Election With A Difference

August 31, 2020
309
Real Leadership in COVID-19 Jamaica

Real Leadership in COVID-19 Jamaica

August 26, 2020
285
Outsourced or Homegrown? Jamaica’s Football Dilemma

Outsourced or Homegrown? Jamaica’s Football Dilemma

August 7, 2020
274

Factions

Factions is a Jamaican news commentary online platform in which ordinary Jamaicans can comment on and analyze current local news. Share your thoughts.

Follow us

Categories

Business         Education         Religion

General           Social                 Politics

Sports

Recent Posts

  • The Legacy of Luton Shelton Will Live On
  • What is the Correct Choice for Jamaica’s Young Athletes?
  • Haiti Needs Our Attention Too
  • ‘Champs’ 2021 Suffers First Setback
  • Business
  • Education
  • General
  • Social
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Jamaica Says…

© 2020 Factions JA.

No Result
View All Result
  • Business
  • Education
  • General
  • Social
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Jamaica Says…

© 2020 Factions JA.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Share your thoughts. Sign up to create a post.

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.