UTech’s Bailey ‘COVID worried’ as election cycle turns

WESTERN BUREAU:

Dr Alverston Bailey, the associate professor of Occupational Health and Safety School of Public Health and Technology at the University of Technology (UTech), is expressing much concern about a heightened risk of community spread of the COVID-19 virus during the ongoing general election campaign.

“From what I have seen since nomination day, my gut feeling is that in two weeks’ time, there will be a massive spike in the community spread of the virus here in Jamaica,” Bailey told The Gleaner in an interview. “There were large groups of people at the nomination centre, some persons wearing masks and some without, and social distancing went out the window.”

Drawing specific reference to a massive after-nomination day meeting at Water Square in Falmouth, Trelawny, Bailey said what he saw was a clear case of courting disaster.

“I am not good at numbers, but there was about 2,000 persons at the meeting. Very few had masks and there was no social distancing, no sanitising of hands, and they (the people) sang, shouted, danced, hooked on to each other’s bodies and turned their vuvuzelas, some the length of a trombone, into aerosols from which droplets were wafted into the air to fall on unsuspecting revellers,” said Bailey. “What I saw was a demonstration of how to enhance community spread of the virus.”

Bailey said that he was particularly worried by the age mix of the revellers, as there were both youngsters and older folks.

“There was a large group of the 18 to 35 age group. I believe many of them live in extended family setting. There were many in the older age group with high blood pressure and diabetes. They cannot manage a contraction of the virus,” said Bailey.

With at least two weeks to go before the general election, Bailey wants the Government to rethink the method of campaigning.

“Safe election has to be the way to go. Traditional campaigning cannot be the way forward. Virtual campaigning has to be the method, if the community spread of COVID-19 is not to spike to such an extent that our resources will be put under serious strain,” continued Bailey.

He said those persons behaving recklessly on the campaign trail should be cognisant of the fact that there are persons with COVID-19 who show no symptoms.

“Forty per cent of the world’s population are carriers of the virus and do not know. They have no fever and they show no signs that they have the virus,” said Bailey, who is recommending that special arrangements be made to quarantine up to 20,000 people after the election. He is appealing for special election precautions.

“They must do like South Korea, where people are given special disposable gloves. They (the people) should take their own pencils or be given small pieces by the presiding officer. They should not mix with regular voters, and the polls should remain open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. to avoid crowding,” said Bailey.