Dear Editor,
It is exasperating and frightening to see the folly displayed by companies and individuals in their nonchalant approach to Covid-19. The complacency extends from our citizens to our law enforcement. We know that it is now deemed illegal for our populace to be in the public without masks but there are many people visibly traversing public and populous places without masks. I don’t remember seeing a member of the police force within or near the perimeter of Bourda market, to use an example and going back very long in time. Whether Covid-19 existed or not, what type of country exists without the police’s presence in such an occupied and trafficked location? Especially, as we know that crimes have occurred there with enough frequency to warrant the police’s vigilance.
A few weeks ago, I had proposed to the owners of the major supermarkets that they create one- way aisles in their supermarkets. The rationale behind this is that if two people are approaching each other in the narrow aisles of these supermarkets, they will pass each other within two feet. One could then sneeze or cough and that could cause a lot of anger in the persons nearby. It is left to be seen if these owners of the supermarkets to whom I had spoken, are concerned about such safety measures to stymie the spread of Covid-19, confrontations and fracas, which are preventable. It is dangerous even if one doesn’t cough or sneeze. Perhaps many people feel that as long as they are wearing a mask it makes them immune from contracting Covid-19 but leading epidemiologists and medical officials are advising the world’s population that the distance of six feet should be adhered to, in spite of wearing a mask.
We are seeing a rapid rise in the number of people with Covid-19 and this is due to poor practices and noncompliance with guidelines issued to combat the spread of the disease. Another contributory factor is the poor initial response by authorities at the onset of this dreadful illness, which now demands remedial vigilance. We must err on the side of caution.
Yours faithfully,
Conrad Barrow
