Challenges and opportunities presented by the virus
PRIME MINISTER Andrew Holness was right to resist those who were egging him on towards a total shutdown of the economy. Yet, his administration will now have to be far more purposeful and creative in its efforts if it is to turn the tide on the COVID-19 pandemic.
There can’t, for instance, be the dithering that caused the administration, despite the cajoling of this newspaper, to take three weeks to make it mandatory for Jamaicans wear face masks in public places, which, in our context, is likely to be among the more efficacious of the policies to slow the spread of coronavirus. It remains inexplicable that having last week imposed the measure on the quarantined parish of St Catherine, the Government didn’t, at the same time, make this requirement national.
Now that they have gone that route, two things are important. The directive has to be reinforced by a public education campaign on why face masks make sense and critically, how they should be safely worn. Second, masks have to be made accessible and cheap. We have a head start on the former. The latter may be possible if employment opportunities are provided in communities hit hard by the downturn wrought by COVID-19.
While still in the minority, an increasing number of Jamaicans, especially in major urban centres, were already wearing masks. The message got through that the coronavirus can also be spread through microdroplets expelled by infected persons, during talking, sneezing or coughing, getting into other persons via their noses, mouths or eyes. In the absence of a vaccine, the best way to prevent infections is for people to keep their distance from others, including by, as the Government has suggested – and in some cases decreed – staying in their homes. That, though, as the administration recognises, can be especially difficult for many Jamaicans, particularly those among the nearly 20 per cent who live on the margins with, at best, thin safety nets, and have to hustle daily for their livelihoods.
For some of these persons, even modestly priced masks may seem expensive, which is where creative action can be helpful. Already, a number of entrepreneurial-minded persons, with sewing skills, are making business out of the production and sale of face masks. The issue is how to increase volume and lower the prices, thus making decently functionable masks accessible to all Jamaicans.
MULTISECTORAL TASK FORCE
The Government, through the Social Development Commission (SDC), could foster the creation a cottage industry of mask production in communities by identifying who can sew, bringing them into small co-operatives/partnerships, and providing these groups with the first batch of production material, free of cost. Parliamentarians might be encouraged to do the same thing with individuals, from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), which, in normal times, is mostly seen as a sluice for patronage. This would be a worthy, job-creating venture that is inexpensive to start.
Short of slamming brakes harder on the badly spluttering economy and throwing thousands more out of work, mask-wearing isn’t the only relatively easy action the Government can take. It has limited the periods during which public markets can open, but there seems no, or very little, effort by municipalities for the vendors to set out their goods in ways that respect the idea of physical distancing. Further, there are no wardens at major transport centres coaxing commuters to board buses and taxis in an orderly manner. It won’t be enough, after the fact, if, or when systems break down, to complain about the supposed lack of discipline among Jamaicans. In this crisis, the results we want have to be worked at, like aggressively monitoring firms to ensure they have procedures and follow them diligently, and adhere to regulations, to protect workers, or else have the book thrown at them.
In the meantime, as it works to avoid a greater meltdown of the economy, we repeat our suggestion to the administration that it establishes a multisectoral task force, with strong representation from the private sector, to begin to think about the structure of the economy, when Jamaica, and rest of the world, returns to a semblance of normality. They should have a seat at the table, too, at this period when short-term decisions are being made on how we ensure the society’s good health and its economic livelihood.