Dear Editor,
The current Covid-19 prevention strategy that the government has is a losing strategy. In fact it is not a strategy. It is an abdication of responsibility to manage the pandemic. This government actually expects the people to manage the pandemic themselves and now that cases are rising, of course, they blame the people.
I have never heard of forcing people to follow your orders as a winning strategy. Especially, not when their livelihood is at stake. Imagine ordering someone to self-isolate at home and there is no food on the table. Do you honestly believe that they will self-isolate and watch their children go hungry?
Given the crowded conditions in which many families live, do you even think it is possible to self-isolate. Do you honestly believe families have the space for one member to self-isolate?
What is the average education of the people? How disciplined are Guyanese in general? The expectation that the people will be able to self-isolate is not just unworkable, it is unreasonable and unconscionable. It’s as if the politicians think the people are living in luxury with a cupboard full of food and money to spare. I want to know if that is what they see when they go out to hand out hampers.
It is my position that government has to take responsibility to manage the pandemic. The increase in infection represents a failure of government. This failure results in increased deaths. Yes, it is the government that is responsible for many of the deaths from Covid-19.
The Minister of Health has been unable to solve the problems with testing capacity and turnaround time. The government started out with so much goodwill, so this failure can only be chalked up to incompetence. It’s as if the Minister of Health does not know that he is responsible for managing the Covid-19 Pandemic.
The President is concerned about how long before he can open up the country. He would also like to do something to help the Tourist Industry. I believe he can solve both problems by considering the following:
I would suggest that the President should consider appointing someone to specifically manage the Pandemic.
We currently have 890 Covid-19 cases in home isolation. I would suggest all Covid-19 cases be placed in hotels and kept under control. Let’s call this managed isolation. Rent whole hotels. Establish PPE protocols for all staff. Have one or more Police or other person in authority stationed at each hotel to make sure Covid-19 cases stick to the programme.
Hotel will provide organized recreation, snacks, food and beverage, making sure PPE, masks and social distancing are employed to protect the non-Covid people.
You will be adding to this population all new cases daily. You will also release from this population as they recover. Those who get very sick will be transferred to hospital.
From the positive cases each day, you will have to do extensive interviews to contact trace and test. This is very important. You have to find out who were exposed to a Covid-19 case.
You will find people who may already be showing symptoms, who are infected but asymptomatic and who did not get infected. They have to be tested. Every positive test moves to managed isolation. If the negative contact is deemed to be a Covid-19 risk (more than 15 minutes in close company of the positive case), they must also be asked to self-isolate. If their living condition make it difficult or impossible to self-isolate, they should be moved to a different managed facility to await clearance to return home. Then you will have negative contacts who are not deemed to be Covid-19 risks; while they will not be asked to self-isolate, they will have to be monitored on a regular basis to see if their condition changes.
You will have to hire Covid-19 monitors to look after the needs of each Covid-19 positive case; negative cases but deemed to be at risk and in managed or self-isolation; and other covid-19 contacts for general monitoring. I would suggest 1 per 20 cases. You should hire 100 monitors initially and add as needed.
For each family with a Covid-19 person in managed isolation, positive or negative, they should be given a cash voucher of $25,000 per week.
Persons who can self-isolate at home, but cannot go to work or travel; their family is also entitled to a weekly cash voucher of $25,000.
Right now you have 890 positive cases supposedly in self-isolation. Move them to managed isolation in hotels. You should start with 1000 hotel rooms. You might go up more but eventually come back down.
You have to manage the pandemic. You have to take control of those who are infected to guarantee they cannot infect others. You also have to monitor those who could become infected. You bring the spreading of the disease to an end. It is my view that only this way will work in Guyana.
This is going to run into some money. It will be money well spent. In less than a month you will be able to open the country and get the economy going. This is your only viable option. Most likely it will be at least 12 months before we get access to a vaccine. So we will have to do this for 12 months.
Costs estimates for are as follows.
This plan gives a boost to the hotels in the tourist industry. In a short time, you will eliminate community spread. You will know from where the next positive case will come. It’s time we have an actual plan to control the pandemic.
Yours faithfully,
Sase Shewnarain
