Restrict visitor entry from countries with high COVID-19 cases
Published:Thursday | June 25, 2020 | 12:24 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
AS JAMAICA moves into the phased reopening of borders, I strongly suggest that greater care is given to risk factors as they relate to visitors from certain countries. While many countries have been serious from the start about the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States of America (USA) with a population of over 300 million has failed miserably.
USA is now seeing a sudden spike in more than half of the country. It leads the world with numbers of infections (more than 2.4 million cases and over 123,000 deaths). I urge the ministries of health and tourism to assign risk factors to countries and control/restrict visitor entry from certain places. We must follow the data. Having reopened borders for a few weeks, we can see where the positive cases are coming from. I would start by denying entry from the top five countries in terms of number of cases – USA, Brazil, Russia, India, UK. This would help to reduce the risk of a sudden spike in Jamaica.
Some things are clearly working with the process of controlled entry put in place, but this is a work in progress and we must fine-tune procedures as more data and information become available. Jamaica cannot afford a massive outbreak, and a person testing negative today can still become positive tomorrow as the virus manifests. Many are concerned about the current surge in the USA and places like Brazil, where political leadership is lacking and they seem to be in complete denial about the crisis and magnitude of the problem. The European Union is already considering blocking US travellers as it reopens borders, citing pandemic failures in these places. We must reassess the situation and do the same until there is an effective cure or treatment, even if most of our tourists arrive from USA. We can tap into other markets in Europe, Canada and Asia as more countries gradually reopen, and the outbreak is better managed in these places and appears to be under control.
CONTINUE TO ENFORCE SAFETY PROTOCOLS
The reality is that COVID-19 will be around for a while, we will have new cases. This should not come as a surprise and we must not pander to fear. What we must do is reduce the risks of spreading and continue to inform, encourage and enforce proper health and safety protocols, especially in public spaces. Wearing of masks must be mandatory in public as we reopen borders. Tourists cannot roam the streets while they await results. Although travellers are screened for signs of symptoms and tested for COVID-19, over the long term this process might be too cumbersome, costly and difficult to manage and maintain. If an effective rapid test becomes available, we should consider this option where results can be known within minutes. It was reported that an airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, started using rapid blood tests, but this was banned after the accuracy rate was discovered to be only 30 per cent. The data so far might allow us to only test passengers from certain countries, with other controls in place applicable to all. It may not be feasible or practical to continue testing all arriving passengers indefinitely.
P.CHIN