Dear Editor,

The coronavirus shows no sign of tapering, with over 14,000 cases at the time of writing and nearly 500 deaths, mostly in central China, but also 26 other countries have confirmed cases.

The first cases of the virus were reported in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, and the mostly affected people had worked or shopped in seafood markets, where freshly slaughtered and live animals were sold.

Still, initial studies suggested that the virus was spread from bats.

The situation is now complex as many flights to China have been banned and travel is restricted to and fro, especially within the epicentre of the outbreak in Wuhan. Over 60 million people are reportedly under lockdown in China in an effort to contain the outbreak.

The economic effects could be very severe; it could impact international trade, travel, and tourism, not just in China.

I found it interesting that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade could not provide an exact number of the Jamaicans living, working, studying in China. We’ve heard stories of Jamaican students desperately pleading for help to leave, stranded in their homes with little food, water and supplies. Although a registration link has now been posted on the ministry’s website, some sort of registration should be in place at all missions to facilitate urgent communication and assistance in the event of emergencies such as this. We began hearing about the virus from as early as December, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be criticised for its lethargic response to aid Jamaicans in China, and now it might be too late, considering the risks.

Needless to say, the Jamaican ambassador to China is counted safe, having already returned to Jamaica.

All in all, we must be prepared.

P Chin

chin_p@yahoo.com