Social distancing is a challenge … but essential

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I am delighted to read your article in The Gleaner about human rights. I used to work in Montego Bay as doctor from 1990 to 1993 and remember the wonderful people in Jamaica. I am now a consultant surgeon in the UK.

The UK has lost this focus on human rights since Brexit, and you can see where you end up if populism and misguided nationalism are more important to a government than the survival of its own citizens in a pandemic. Reading The Gleaner section on COVID-19, I congratulate the Jamaican Government for its transparency in reporting on COVID-19.

Social distancing will be a challenge in the crammed living conditions in places like downtown Kingston, but essential. Testing and contact tracing are the tools to deal with this pandemic, not ‘herd immunity’ and ridicule. I hope that Jamaica will do better than the UK. Look at South Korea and Taiwan for guidance.

KLAUS OVERBECK, FRCS