Garth Rattray | Encourage COVID-19 self-policing

Now that the COVID-19 tsunami is beginning, I see new attempts from the authorities in the faint hope of somewhat ameliorating the disaster. This was preventable but, my many months of efforts at trying to get a meaningful response against COVID-19 were either totally ignored or ridiculed by some.

Shockingly, although high-profile celebrities, high-society figures and politicians have become infected, although infected and sick citizens are overloading our healthcare system, barefaced campaigners and barefaced constituents interacted freely. Most citizens still resist wearing masks or distancing themselves from others, and many literally swarm like bees in wholesale establishments and markets downtown.

The spread of COVID-19 is like an intricate and extensive web. If, for instance, someone forgets and chats with a neighbour without a mask and without distancing themselves, they could become unknowingly infected and carry COVID-19 into the workplace. Or, even if they take every precaution but a household member goes to work and takes off the mask while interacting with co-workers, the infection could enter that home and then the office. I could go on and on with examples of the web that COVID-19 weaves and how we are all endangered because of it.

It has been repeatedly stressed that we must assume that any and everybody that we encounter is infected with the potentially deadly virus and act accordingly with sanitisation, physical distancing, and facial covering. However, only a minority of people are doing that. In order to assure compliance, we need to institute stern measures. We do not have the resources to constantly police everyone, but it is easy to get citizens to police themselves.

COVID-19 MARSHALS

We need COVID-19 marshals. They should wear brightly coloured vests with ‘COVID-19 Marshal’ clearly labelled on both sides. The public should be forewarned of their impending presence. The marshals should be tutored to look for breaches and how to report them. If, for example, a marshal observes a business place or public building with no hand sanitising and/or no attempts at distancing customers/clients and/or no masks or inappropriately worn masks by workers and/or customers, he/she should immediately call it in.

Given the seriousness of our situation, and the fact that everyone should be considered infected and infectious, a team with a health official and security personnel should go to the location, issue an order to close temporarily for sanitisation, and a large red notice placed on the entrance door. I guarantee that the business place, and all others that know what happened, will police themselves and their customers/clients to avoid a repeat of that embarrassing and expensive experience.

I see taxis and minibuses going along, crowded and with only occasional passengers wearing masks. Many minibuses are still heavily tinted; they must have the tints removed to allow observation/monitoring from outside. If any public transport vehicle is found in breach, it should be impounded (by the team consisting of a health official and security personnel), for sanitisation – again, the operator, and all who know what happened, will self-police to avoid any repeat of that situation.

Likewise, if sidewalk and market vendors refuse to practise sanitising, distancing and source control with masks, they should have their stall and goods temporarily taken away (by the team) for sanitising and a red notice left in place. Others will quickly come to know of the procedure and self-police. Barefaced pedestrians should be issued meaningful fines. Over time, we will need fewer marshals because people and businesses will be self-policing to avoid the embarrassment, inconvenience and expense.

We cannot allow ignorance, recalcitrance, selfishness and indiscipline to be our undoing. We have the advantage of knowledge and the wherewithal to utilise ways and means to get citizens to comply for their own good and for the good of us all.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.