Hinchcliffe’s latest more than a historical document for research

A Time Like No Other: The COVID-19 Pandemic; Perspectives on Jamaica’s Experience by M Audrey Stewart-Hinchcliffe

Chairman of Manpower & Maintenance Services Limited Group (MMS) M Audrey Stewart-Hinchcliffe’s fourth publication and the second book produced during the time of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is now out.

A Time Like No Other: The COVID-19 Pandemic; Perspectives on Jamaica’s Experience chronicles Jamaica’s struggle with the issues and concerns generated by COVID-19 during a surreal and confusing time that left some virtually paralysed as they sequestered themselves into their homes adhering to lockdown orders and trying to cope with the challenges that confronted not only the island but the entire global community.

Dedicated to “the frontline workers and private and public sector partners who worked assiduously to bring the COVID-19 virus under control, thus ending the pandemic”, the book is based on articles written by the author and published from April 15, 2020, to January 20, 2022 — the height of the outbreak — and records the disruption, confusion, anxiety, fear, uncertainty, stress, sadness and isolation that many experienced during that time. It examines the Government’s response, highlights lessons learnt, and also provides sage advice that is worth heeding, should a similar public health emergency occur.

Hailed as a “call to action,” the book is divided into seven sections covering — the COVID-19 Phenomenon; Control and Prevention; The Vaccine Debate; the Socio-Psychological Effects of COVID-19; Changing Dynamics of Business Operations; Hope in Times of Fear and Chaos; and Issues of Compliance, Conflict and Contradictions. It also includes the Protocol for Cleaning and Sanitation developed by MMS Group Ltd at the request of the Business Recovery Task Force.

In the publication, Stewart-Hinchcliffe reminds us, for example, of the challenges associated with quarantine, not just as it relates to a community but to an entire country; the mask debate and the reactions of many to the mandate to wear a mask in public; the previously unheard of phenomenon of social distancing, the impact on women and children; the changing dynamics of business and work culture; the importance of choosing the right words to communicate concepts, ideas and instructions during this ‘time like no other,’ as well as the added public health dilemma arising from the introduction of the vaccine and the heated debates surrounding whether to be or not to be vaccinated. She is mindful of the fact that here in Jamaica and around the world, the various governments and peoples were swimming in uncharted waters, with no precedent for dealing with a public health crisis that swept the globe virtually overnight.

Stewart-Hinchcliffe’s account is not shared from a distance. Using language that is easily understood, she recounts Jamaica’s journey through the pandemic as a ‘participant-observer,’ who not only watched but lived through and was deeply affected by the virus and its effects on the society. She draws on her experience as a former international health-care expert, and leading figure in Jamaica’s cleaning industry and citizen, to outline the facts associated with the pandemic, but also gives insightful commentary on the issues of the day urging the public to accept responsibility for their personal health and safety. She also reminds health-care providers that although people are entitled to their opinions, “when we are in a position of influence, we must be very careful how we portray issues of public safety — such as the vaccine”.

The author laments the absence of cohesion among “government policy, scientific research, and health promotion,” stressing the close attention that must be paid to messaging during a crisis. She notes, “Despite the fact that there was so much information swirling around, the spread of the infection continued to trend in the wrong direction. That was a clear indication that there were too many voices in our heads… We became numb to the impact of sickness, death, and despair. So, we partied more than usual whenever and wherever – clubs, homes, bars, restaurants, beaches, and rivers. We created superspreading events and participated with wild abandon. Disaster Risk Management Act and protocols be damned!”

Noting the effects of “vaccine mania,” and the fact that some refused to be vaccinated, even at the risk of death, Stewart-Hinchcliffe observes, “Untoward activities and delusions should not have trumped best efforts to sensitise and prepare people to be ready to avail themselves of the vaccine when it became available. We should not have been allowed to lose sight of the fact that the coronavirus is a killing machine which could be tamed by the vaccine.”

Citing the importance of hygiene through cleaning, sanitising, and disinfecting, and training in dealing with viral infections and promoting disease control, the author also urges the cleaning industry to “ramp up to fight COVID-19”, while using the opportunity to call on government to formalise the industry.

Readers from all sectors — Government, the business community, health-care providers, students, private individuals, among others — will find this book interesting and useful. However, it is not only an historical document for research. It seeks to inform and educate while also dealing with the matter of disease/infection, control, and prevention. Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams, who wrote the introduction, observes that it also addresses “the nuances of politics and public health to recovery, the re-shaping of the future for individuals, organisations, and the broader society, and the necessity to re-examine the approach to business and management”.

With a foreword by Professor of Public Health, Epidemiology and HIV/AIDS, UWI, Mona, Dr J Peter Figueroa, endorsement from Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton and a statement from RJRGleaner Communications Group Chief Executive Officer Gary Allen, A Time Like No Other … is well worth owning and passing to the next generation as it contains many valuable lessons learnt from the COVID-19 experience. In the words of the author, “For two years we lived in an alien world, enduring physical isolation, mental and physical pain and suffering, economic loss, the grief from mourning the deaths of loved ones and so much more. But we also learnt to cope. We are survivors! However, the question is not whether there will be other serious pandemics, it is, rather, a question of when. Let us be prepared to tackle whatever comes next … as a result of the lessons from the COVID-19 experience.” She also urges continued caution as the virus “is still with us”.

Sponsored by Manpower & Maintenance Services Foundation, the book is available at all Kingston Bookshops and Manpower & Maintenance Services Limited Group locations islandwide as well as online at amazon.com. All proceeds from the sale will benefit the Manpower Foundation which supports health, education and sports.

Other books authored by Stewart-Hinchcliffe include Taking Care, A Manual for Medical Office Administrators (1988), The Will To Overcome: Reflections on Circumstance, Vision Service (2020) and Chapters of Your Life, Wise Words for Women on a Life-Changing Journey (2021).