Dear Editor,
IN the light of rising cases of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it has been brought to my attention via social media that PPP/C supporters are “guarding the ballot boxes” in contravention of safe social- distancing policies. This is a dangerous health risk for spreading the coronavirus.
First, the World Health Organisation (WHO) discovered that the coronavirus is airborne “like aerosol spray,” and recent scientific studies have revealed that DNA traces of the virus were still there 17 days after the passengers left the Diamond Princess cruise ship. On a more verifiable measurement, transmission can occur on surfaces up to three days.
Furthermore, the UK newspaper The Guardian discussed that “The virus is pretty stable on [materials] like plastic and steel – they can persist for a few days. So it’s very possible that someone who’s sick will deposit the virus on to the surface and then somebody else will touch it and touch their face.” Therefore, shipping containers make it a perfect surface for the coronavirus to infect people.
Additionally, economic and social sacrifices are being made by the developed nations to prevent an exponential spread of the coronavirus through social distancing and staying at home. On the contrary, the PPP/C protesters are congregating and are planning to get up close and personal with the shipping containers (and eventually the ballot boxes, once those shipping containers are legally opened).
One possible health risk is that when the shipping containers are being handled, the ballot boxes might contain traces of the coronavirus if an infected person then went too close to the ballot boxes. I know that this concern sounds outlandish, but the high rates of infection and death in Italy are no laughing matter. Nor is the forced lockdown of the developed countries which cost their economies trillions of dollars in losses. Those First World democracies have introduced fines and imprisonment for anyone who flouts the social distancing policies in public.
Furthermore, it has been proven that gatherings of people create a higher transmission rate of the coronavirus. This is evident in the active social lifestyles of the Southern Europeans, and the high infection rates in populous American states, such as New York and New Jersey. In conclusion, though the PPP/C’s supporters are being allowed their right to assembly and protest, they are ignoring the WHO recommendations of social distancing and staying at home when necessary, putting many at risk of the coronavirus.
Regards,
Riaz Hamid
Source: https://issuu.com/guyanachroniclee-paper/docs/guyana_chronicle_e-paper_3-27-2020