Sunday, May 24, 2020

Opening Businesses & Borders: Here are some questions

By: Central Health - Grenada

Candid questions regarding the opening of businesses and borders can be found below.


The scientific terms are symptomatic, pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic. In layman’s terms, these are three ways a person can become infected from someone with COVID-19.  As piecemeal permission is being granted for the re-opening of businesses and eventually our borders, Grenadians really need to exercise caution. We do not have the all-clear for normalcy – not by a long shot. The fact remains, COVID-19 has killed more people globally in a shorter span of time than the flu. The main reasons are differences in incubation period, modes of transmission, rapid deaths, and plenty of unknowns due to insufficient time to study the virus.

Three ways get COVID-19: Without taking the necessary precautions, such as  wearing protective gear, hand washing, cleaning frequently touched surfaces, avoid touching one’s face with unclean hands and exercising physical distancing (6 feet), you can get the virus through contact with the following persons:

  1. Symptomatic: You can contract the virus from someone exhibiting symptoms. 
  2. Pre-Symptomatic: You can also get it from an infected person, which according to the World Health Organization (WHO) says the time between a person is exposed and when they first exhibit symptoms. 
  3. Asymptomatic: You can also get it from someone who has it and is not showing any symptoms at all.
The problem with the latter, there has not been enough time to research how long they remain asymptomatic. So, for this mode of transmission we are truly operating blindly.

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine’s Coronavirus Resource Center reported that as of May 24, 2020 there have been 345, 036 global deaths caused by COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 290,000 to 650,000 people die of flu-related causes every year worldwide. This means from approximately December 2019 to May 2020  - roughly five months, COVID-19’s death record is already at 50%. 

In Grenada, from March until relative recently, everything came to a screeching halt. We needed to slow the opportunities for transmissions, as the health care system could not handle sudden mass illnesses. Who could forget the day Hon. Minister Nicolas Steele blew a complete gasket, when many at the beginning of this saga seemed flippant at the Ministry of Health’s warnings? That evening he sent us all to our rooms for two weeks – in the first instance. A pin could drop in Grenada and someone could hear it.

The strategy worked, although it was tough on many: efforts to balance shopping days; the pushing and shoving; the panic buying; walking with groceries on your back, for those that did not have transportation; and not able to access cash for several weeks. Nationals stuck at sea were eventually permitted to return home, after going through mandatory pre-cautions. You name it we went through the trial, errors and successes while leaning on ‘the science’. Grenadians emerged with zero deaths, to date.  Then, smiles started to fade rapidly because people were suffering economic hardship. For many their mantra is, “If I do not work, I cannot eat.” The fact is, no nation can remain cut off from the world indefinitely, but opening our borders means people are potentially bringing their germs and viruses with them.

As the nation attempts to take baby steps forward, some questions arise.

1.     What will be the screening process for travelers entering and leaving Grenada?

2.
     What plans are in place to protect Grenadians from being used as guinea pigs for vaccine clinical trials?

3.     After borders are opened and should a second wave of cases hit our shores:

a.     Will the shutdown measures be repeated?

b.     What will be the phases?

4.     St. George’s University(SGU) says they will release a statement, however:

a.     What will the Grenadian employees be required to do to remain employed – as they interact with the students?

b.     What will the students be required to do, to protect employees?

5.     Outside of SGU:

a.     What measures will be put in place to protect staffers who may lose their jobs after voicing concerns about safety in the workplace?

b.     Can a hotline number be developed for employees to safely report when being forced to work outside of permitted hours, or their jobs being threatened for voicing concerns?

6.     What observations-measures have been put in place to ensure businesses, schools and other entities follow the health and safety regulations?

7.     If parents are uncomfortable returning their child to school:

a.     Will there be consequences for non-compliance?

b.     What systems will be put in place for cramped classrooms?

c.     If a parent chooses to Home School, will that be permitted?

8.     What measures will be put in place to protect teachers from students and vice versa?

9.     Other countries besides China are developing vaccines:

a.     What is the typical process for accepting and issuing vaccines?

b.     How long will it take for the approval process?

c.     Should Grenadians have concerns about the source of the vaccine will that be considered?

d.     Could a Grenadian be given the choice to accept or decline a vaccine based on source?

e.     Will the source of the vaccine be disclosed?

10.  Testing:

a.     Are there plans to test more than 1% of the population?

b.     The tests that are being used, which country sourced them?

11.  Bus drivers:

a.     Will the bus drivers be permitted to adjust their prices during this limited state of emergency?

b.     How will the sanitization of buses be monitored as they enter the terminal after trips?


It will be interesting to see if these questions are addressed. Equally interesting would be to find out what other questions citizens have at this time, and how can they get answers. During press briefings journalists can ask questions, but citizens have questions also.



For permission to publish this article email: centralhealthgnd@hotmail.com 

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