Let cleanliness be a way of life

THE EDITOR, Madam:

ONE GOOD thing that has emerged out of the COVID-19 pandemic is that cleanliness has become the order of the day throughout Jamaica. Never have Jamaica’s banks, restaurants, supermarkets, buses, pharmacies, and bars been so clean and so germ-free.

As a result of this welcome, and long overdue, attention to sanitisation on the part of consumer-driven local entities, the net effect, if this frequent and meticulous attention to cleanliness continues, at present and in the post-COVID-19 era will, ultimately, be a much healthier population.

Germs, of all kinds, contribute, greatly to many respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. Therefore, in addition to the aforementioned, if the healthy and, now, commonplace practice of using hand sanitisers and washing goods bought at grocery stores remains a part of the daily routine of most Jamaicans, in the postcoronavirus era, there will be a significant decrease in germborne illnesses and ailments from Negril to Morant Point.

I, therefore, urge the local retail sector, with the support, cooperation, and endorsement of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, to maintain, in the aftermath of the long-awaited and much-anticipated departure of the COVID-19 pandemic, their current comprehensive and highly effective cleaning standards.