My original version of today’s column was explicitly written to focus solely on Jasmine Dean, our visually impaired student from The University of the West Indies (UWI), who has been missing since February 27, when she was last seen on her way home from the Mona Campus. As a member of the Mona Campus community, her disappearance — and the ongoing speculations about her whereabouts and state of well-being — has been a constant discussion since that time.

Students in my lectures, including other visually impaired peers, have been in a state of agitation as they try to find out what happened to Jasmine. The entire Mona Campus community and indeed the wider Jamaica have become connected to this search for Jasmine and her image, accompanied by requests for information and help to find her, has made the rounds of traditional and social media platforms. Even while many young girls and women go missing in Jamaica today, the story of Jasmine has caught the hearts and minds of many. Perhaps it is because she dared to brave many odds to secure her independence and her education. To think that she could have been harmed along this pathway strikes a chord that resonates with many. How could anyone think of harming her?

I know that there are people who know exactly what has happened to Jasmine. They have every single detail. I am asking these people who are fully aware of where she is and what has happened to her to do the right thing and provide her immediate and extended family with the necessary information so that Jasmine can be returned home.

Right now it feels as if the entire Jamaica is bracing for news about Jasmine, and I am still holding on to a tenuous thread of hope that one of the captors will just do the right thing. The impassioned pleas from her father, her family, friends, the prime minister, and others cannot have fallen on deaf ears. Regardless of the outcome, someone who has information has heard the pleas. And perhaps more than just one person has this information but is unwilling to pass it on.

I wonder if people know what happened to Jasmine. It is high time a voice note or text message surfaced somewhere, just in case people are afraid to talk in person or on the phone. Cough up the information.

With Jasmine Dean being at the top of my mind, the confirmation from the Ministry of Health came this Tuesday, during my tutorial on the Mona Campus, that Jamaica joined the growing numbers of countries who now have confirmed at least one case of the dreaded coronavirus disease (COVID-19). My students were agitated and concerned not just about their safety, but about the wider implications going forward. Within minutes of the official announcement, my WhatsApp began ‘blowing up’ with messages from family members and friends at home and abroad, while Facebook descended into a frenzy of confirmatory and apprehensive posts. While I expected it, the reports of runs on various supermarkets were reminiscent of preparations for an imminent hurricane. Many rushed to stock up on sanitary products and food supplies. I am certain this type of shopping frenzy will continue as the number of confirmed cases increase because many are just concerned about safeguarding themselves and their families from possible contamination and lack of access to food and other resources as the virus spreads outwards.

These are early days yet, but many persons are waiting to hear how this will all play out. A few institutions have also begun to restructure their activities, moving to use online and work-from-home strategies. There is one school of thought that people welcome this opportunity to be absent from work or school because they are lazy and want to stay home. I beg to differ, as it is clear that most people are simply very concerned about their health and have been paying close attention to the actions taken in countries like China and Italy, where millions of individuals have been quarantined in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

At this point, it is critical that Jamaicans continue to expose themselves to the best information from the most authoritative sources possible. Here, the traditional media and releases from the Ministry of Health and Wellness are now our most valuable local sources. If we must do the right things to reduce the spread of coronavirus, and the impact of this disease, then all Jamaicans must avoid the rumour-mongering and gossip that usually helps to spread panic and increase fear.

One thing that seems very clear is that this new virus is transforming our social relations and the way we interact with each other. We are being encouraged, some say forced, to eliminate physical contact and various forms of human touching that have been critical for the maintenance of social activity in many of our societies. All the press releases and discussions say that we now have to do away with hugging, handshaking, kissing on the cheek, or other forms of greeting that include touching another person. We are being encouraged to maintain a personal distance of at least three feet from each other. We are to avoid crowded places and this has implications for entertainment and more broad-based social interaction. Indeed, this means that many social events are being postponed or cancelled. We are being encouraged to live, work, and play in growing levels of isolation. It seems as if individuals must prepare to find solace in their homes far more than usual.

As we all brace for this storm, remember to take care of your elderly family members and friends, who are the most vulnerable ones in our midst with regard to this coronavirus. We are all in this thing together.

Donna P Hope, PhD, is professor of culture, gender and society at The University of the West Indies. Send comments to the Observer or dqueen13@hotmail.com.