Dear Editor,

One step forward and a landslide backward is an analogy of Jamaicans’ response to tighter COVID-19 measures.

One would think social distancing is only for inside government buildings and a mask is carried to prevent being thrown in the police truck.

The crowd seeking to enter banks, supermarkets, buses, Western Union, and to collect the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) cheque has been causing nurses sleepless nights. The situation is further compounded by conflicting information on vaccines and their abilities to provide protection from being seriously affected by the novel coronavirus.

The Government continues to try a balancing act, juggling the opening and closing of the different sectors in an effort to keep the country afloat. We, by now, should understand that the virus is not a figment of our imagination and, with that in mind, adhere to the simple protocols.

The extent of the protocols for personal protection can be covered in half a breath as follows: Wear a mask, physical distance, and sanitise. It is important that we are able to breathe because the virus will attack the lungs and make breathing a thing of the past, especially now, as we face oxygen shortage.

It is easier to obey the protocols, while contemplating if you should take the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, or any vaccine at all, than to be on the ground crying for a nurse in the hospital car park due to a lack of beds and floor space.

It is full time we take responsibility for our selfish actions and stop blaming everything or everyone else. We all want to get back to living normally; it is the cry of the world’s heart. But, in the interim, obey the protocols, nuh, please. If not for yourself, do it for the nurses. Please, mi a beg uno.

Hezekan Bolton

h_e_z_e@hotmail.com