Doctor cautious about relaxed ‘COVID Christmas’

Respected physician Dr Alverston Bailey says if Jamaica doesn't start seeing fewer new COVID-19 cases per day over the next two weeks, restrictions should be tightened for Christmas.

"With a case fatality rate of 2.3 per cent, we are not in control of the pandemic. If we could bring it to one to 15 cases per day, about one person dying per 100, and drop the positivity rate to around two per cent, then we're definitely on top of our game. If I were the Government, I would consider easing restrictions for Christmas only if I notice a change in the trend. If the numbers don't go down in two weeks, I would tighten restrictions," Bailey told THE STAR.

He says the decision to return to normal is dependent on the number of cases per day.

"It depends on the number of persons who died out of the number of persons who have been infected and the positivity rate ... the number of persons who are positive out of the pool that is tested. There is supposed to be a threshold. I am sure they are going to be looking critically on those numbers to decide if it's safe to take a chance for a relaxing of the COVID protocols," he said. "The Government could operate with a leap of faith and anticipate that we will continue to go down. Or they could be concerned about the roller coaster movement of the case numbers ... high today and low tomorrow."

Several countries have imposed COVID lockdowns, with authorities in some European nations warning against plans for Christmas travel. Locally, in two weeks, the Cabinet will advise on the measures for the Christmas period.

Unrestricted Christmas

Charlene Taylor, 43, says Jamaica has earned the right to have an unrestricted Christmas.

"We need the free up ... a long time we inside now. People wah see dem family dem and enjoy dem self. If COVID nuh kill we, we a go mad. By now everybody know fi sanitise and wear dem mask ... we nuh need fi get restricted fi do that," she said.

Chadwick Brown, 28, said: "The cases gone down. We used to see hundreds of cases a day time and now we a see double digits. We put in the work so we can free up now man."

Jamaica on Monday recorded 30 new COVID cases, increasing the total to 9,959, with 4,256 of them being active. For the second day, no new deaths were recorded.