Dear Editor,

The Government’s latest COVID-19 restrictions, like the ones before, make exemptions for “essential workers”. The reason given is that some jobs are so critical that restricting them would be more detrimental to society. The implication of defining some jobs as essential is that it implies that other jobs are non-essential. It is from this flawed premise that lockdowns and curfews are so readily advocated.

This is the result of a failure to accurately account for the cost of the restrictions on non-essential work on the country. Firstly, all essential workers depend on the work of non-essential workers to properly perform their tasks, thus making the “non-essential” essential. The taxi driver is needed by the nurse to get to the hospital. The hospital needs the air-conditioning unit to work, thus making the technician essential. The technician needs the hardware store clerk to get supplies, etc. The economy is too complicated and workers are too interdependent to designate one job essential and another not.

Beyond the Government’s designation, more importantly, everybody’s job is essential to them. The cavalier nature at which restrictions are being imposed on a person’s ability to provide for him/herself is dangerous.

But we have to “stop the spread”, “flatten the curve”, as there are “not enough beds”. These statements have been repeated to convince the citizens that the economic suffering is necessary. The average citizen is so afraid that they haven’t asked the key question: Do the lockdowns work? The Government has provided no evidence to justify its totalitarian edicts. What data is being collected to justify the demands on citizens.

To compare the effectiveness of lockdowns we can compare Sweden — a country that, even in the height of COVID-19 hysteria, had no lockdown — while the UK and Italy had strict lockdown. If lockdowns work we should see Sweden being worst off than other European countries, but instead Sweden is ranked seventh out 30 for fewest deaths for the last year. Comparison within US sees states like Georgia and Florida without lockdowns and having fewer COVID-19 deaths and cases per capita than New York and California, with the strictest lockdowns. There is the popular claim that that parties are increasing the spread, but Atlanta’s nightclubs have remained open. Furthermore, several Jamaican artistes have had concerts in Florida and yet these states have not had worst outcomes than other states.

It is normal to be afraid of the uncertain, but even with fear we need to think critically and scientifically. As a nation we are afraid of the wrong things. We should be afraid of what will happen now that children have been out of school for over a year. We should be afraid of how much the dollar will devalue without tourism. Even more terrifying is that Jamaica, according to insightcrime.org, has the highest murder rate in the world. The country with the highest murder rate in the world is sending police to patrol beaches to make sure nobody is playing in the water. Lunacy!

Clevon Meikle

clevonium@hotmail. com