Some persons have decided to self-isolate as a precaution against contracting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after five cases have so far been confirmed in the country.
After the cases were confirmed here, government has shuttered schools for two weeks beginning March 16 and public sector workers are working on a shift system as part of measures to avoid the spread of COVID-19 across the country. Guyana has five confirmed cases with one death.
Sunday Stabroek recently reached out to some persons who have decided to remain isolated to avoid catching the virus.
Schad Rose, a University of Guyana (UG) student, said that he has been distancing himself from others ever since the first case was confirmed. He said the time has given him the opportunity to attempt preparing meals for himself. According to Rose, his self-isolation is due to his high chance of contracting the virus. He explained that he is a very social and outgoing person. “I’m a pretty social person…I go out with friends a lot and if I were to go somewhere and meet my friends, I would meet more people who are mutual friends and so on, hence I would most likely contract it, correct?” he reasoned.
In isolation, Rose spends his days studying, watching movies on Netflix or listening to music. The young man said that he is also doing actions advised by the World Health Organization (WHO) such as washing his hands often and keeping his surroundings clean. “Yeah, I’ve actually been washing my hands so much that it feels kind of weird,” he jokingly said. In terms of food, Rose said that he is usually overstocked so he is not too worried about running out anytime soon. His family is also taking similar measures to avoid catching the virus.
Rose said that while he cannot guarantee that he would remain isolated for a long time, he intends to do whatever he has to do to ensure his safety including staying away from classes even when UG reopens.
Meanwhile, a Golden Grove, East Bank Demerara family of four, except for the father who works in Georgetown, have decided to self-isolate until the spread of the disease is controlled.
Justin Thompson, the eldest of the two siblings in the family, told Sunday Stabroek that he started to self-quarantine a week ago. His reasons are to stop the virus from being transmitted from persons to himself, especially since persons cannot be sure that they have COVID-19 until the symptoms show.
“We occupy ourselves with chores and games or we use our devices when we get tired of that,” he said, when asked how his days are spent in self-quarantine. Using Lysol and hand sanitisers, he and his family have been able to have peace of mind about not contracting the coronavirus. Thompson also said that they are using a lot of vitamins.
As for schooling, Thompson explained that he studies engineering at UG and via the institution’s website, lecturers share work with students. The website was created prior to the coronavirus outbreak for students to easily access information about the university and also for teacher-student work and has come in handy for the students, who are now being advised to stay home and stay safe, as the university itself remains closed. Thompson’s younger sister, who is a fifth form student at St Joseph’s High School, is also using online methods to continue with her studies, one of those being Zoom.
The 18-year-old said if more cases are confirmed, his family will stay indoors longer, but for now they intend to remain indoors for another week.
Trina Persaud, who is also a student of the St Joseph High School, said that social distancing and self-isolation is not a difficult task for her given that she would always be at home when she is not at school. The fifth former said that she is using the time to continue studying but added that she misses being able to socialise with her friends in person rather than via social media.
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, persons are being advised to wash their hands regularly and keep their surroundings clean. The use of sanitisers and disinfectant sprays have also been recommended. Social distancing and avoiding groups of ten and more people has been advised by the Pan-American Health Organization.
UG had previously advised that following their mid-semester break, the campuses would remain closed until March 30th. The Ministry of Education has shuttered schools until March 27 with classes expected to resume on March 30, unless the public is given further notice.
Persons who are showing symptoms of the virus can contact the Ministry of Health’s hotline at 227 4986 or 624 3067. Calls to the hotline are toll free, telecommunications firm GTT has advised. Persons using the Digicel service are asked to dial 180 or 181 to contact the ministry.
