The COVID-19 Monitoring Unit is almost overwhelmed by the country’s current public health predicament, particularly with the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Speaking as a special call-in guest on Starcom Network’s Down To Brasstacks programme yesterday, head of the unit, Ronald Chapman, said while they had increased numbers throughout the year to deal with the pandemic, it was becoming harder to get the job done, as many Barbadians were still flouting the protocols put in place to protect them.
“The Monitoring Unit was developed knowing that once COVID-19 started to spread in the neighbourhoods, we would need community-based persons to help us navigate those issues, identify people and provide the necessary support. There is lots more we have to do. We also have to look at isolation and quarantine facilities,” he told moderator David Ellis.
Chapman, whose substantive post is Deputy Chief Environmental Health Officer, said their areas of expertise had now been expanded to visiting places to determine air quality standards, especially in light of the current battle with the highly transmissible Delta variant, which has led to a significant increase in new infections, especially in densely populated communities. (RA)
Subscribe now to our eNATION edition for the full story.
For the latest stories and breaking news updates download the Nationnews apps for iOS and Android.
