Careless behavior, including illegal bike parties and other such activities, are driving the spread of COVID-19 in the western Jamaica parish of Westmoreland, prompting a warning to residents that they could be faced with increased restrictions under the Disaster Risk Management Act in the coming days.
The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, said currently, 80 per cent of all communities are showing active cases with persons presenting with varying degrees of severity of the respiratory illness “from asymptomatic to requiring transfer to the intensive care units of the Cornwall Regional Hospital and the University Hospital of the West Indies”. The minister was addressing the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
He said the authorities in Westmoreland had picked up a positivity rate as high as 15 per cent which is higher than the national average.
“What it means is that this should present a warning to persons within that parish,” said the minister.
He noted that the community spread now being experienced in the parish “has the potential to increase further over the December to January period”. And, he lamented that “we’re seeing an increase in cases, an increase in hospitalisations and, unfortunately, an increase in deaths”.
“The Ministry of Health and Wellness has begun to see a very worrying trend in the western half of the island, and in particular in the parish of Westmoreland,” Tufton shared.
“In this parish, over the last month, the numbers of confirmed cases have moved from 245 to 460. In the last two weeks, over 100 newly confirmed cases have been recorded,” Tufton told the House. He noted that while the parish has recorded 22 COVID-19 related deaths overall, 12 of those were recorded in the last two weeks. He said the ministry’s surveillance at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital also shows a worrying trend with COVID-19 admissions increasing steadily over the last three months. For the month of October there were 23 admissions, more than doubling to 55 in November.
The health minister said young people within the affected communities are paying scant regard to prevention control measures.
“They are actively engaging in social interactions, exposing themselves to the virus and taking it home to their older relatives who’re becoming ill and are dying, as the evidence is suggesting,” Tufton lamented. The health minister said that based on the on-the-ground information provided by the police and the local health team, “most of the infections are driven by illegal parties hosted at bars and corner shops, nine-nights and wakes and the infamous bike parties that move from community to community”.
“This indiscipline threatens all of our efforts and could ultimately erode the gains we’ve made over the last several months to contain the spread and reduce the rate of infection,” Tufton said.
He further warned that the situation was a clear and present danger to the efforts of the health ministry, “and indeed the entire country to not only flatten the curve but to also ensure that we’re able to prevent the overwhelming of the public health system”.
Tufton pointed out that while the health authorities were bracing for an expected increase in COVID-19 cases at this time of year, the surge in Westmoreland has been more rapid than anticipated and must be cauterised. He pointed out that the other parishes in the north-western part of the country – Hanover, St James, Trelawny and St Ann - are also seeing increased numbers.
Tufton said that after careful deliberations with the Cabinet, Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the ministry’s technical team, due warning is being given to the people of Westmoreland.
“This behaviour and disregard for the protocols is a serious matter. We’re giving notice that we can’t continue to tolerate this type of disregard for the protocols and if the present measures are not adhered to and we do not see a change in the trajectory over the next few days, then new restrictions will be imposed on the parish to effect that change,” he said.
The restrictions could include tighter curfew hours to suspension of certain activities. “Even the limited activities that are currently allowed,” said Tufton, adding that “we will take the decision, the Cabinet is resolute …and so I say to the people of Westmoreland, as well as the other parishes along the belt, please recalibrate, take the matter into your hands and follow the protocols if you want to (continue) to enjoy some of those protocols that are limited nevertheless, but are allowed, going deeper into the festive season”.
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December 09, 2020 at 09:31AM
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Westmoreland warned of tighter COVID restrictions amid 'carelessness' - Loop News Jamaica
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