Virus warning for St Catherine

CROWDING AT remittance outlets could cause St Catherine cases of the new coronavirus to spike, councillor for the Mt Industry division, Roogae Kirlew, has charged.

Kirlew has also called for the regime of voluntary testing to be intensified.

The councillor was addressing Thursday’s monthly meeting of the municipal corporation.

“The objective of containing the spread has obviously not been met. I passed by a couple of the outlets yesterday (Wednesday), and there were long lines of people not adhering to none of the Ministry of Health guidelines,” Kirlew said.

The political representative expressed dismay at crowding in public spaces which breached social-distancing rules – persons should be six feet apart– and raised alarm at the inconsistent wearing of masks.

Jamaica has so far recorded 509 SARS-CoV-2 cases, with none emerging in the last 24 hours – a first in more than 50 days. Nine people have died.

St Catherine, which sparked a surge in cases from the Alorica call centre, accounts for 293 infections, with 25 recoveries and one death.

Kirlew emphasised that there must be strict enforcement of the guidelines if COVID-19 is to be contained.

“There is just not enough security personnel on the ground at these remittance outlets to do crowd control. Furthermore, the proper protocols are not being observed,” the councillor said, adding that there were no handwashing areas set up for patrons to get their hands sanitised.

Kirlew, who is also chairman of the Disaster Management Committee, has urged state authorities to review the protocols that have led to long lines snaking on to public sidewalks as displaced persons seek welfare under the Government’s WE CARE programme. The crowds, he said, are counter-intuitive to the Holness administration’s warning againsts gatherings of more than 10, giving more legs to the virus.

“It seems like double standard to me for the Government to put down guidelines and no enforcement is done to ensure adherence,” Kirlew said.

In response to a report by Chief Medical Officer Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie that there appeared to be a flattening of the coronavirus curve in the parish, the Mt Industry councillor pitched for more voluntary testing.

That exercise should particularly target asymptomatic or silent carriers, Kirlew said.