Norwood residents being victimized over COVID fears

 

It has been revealed that residents of Norwood in St. James are being blacklisted by employers and shunned by residents of other communities due to COVID-19 surveillance and testing activities which took place recently.

 

The activities followed at least eight positive COVID-19 test results from a family in the community.

 

On Thursday, the St. James Municipal Corporation was told that some residents of Norwood have lost their jobs or have been sent home until they have received clearance from the Ministry of Health.

 

Sherika Lewis, Acting Chief Public Health Inspector for St. James, implored business places "not to send home persons from this particular or other communities that would have had cases of COVID-19." 

 

"We want to ensure that our protocols that we already established in terms of surveillance are carried out in the best way possible. So we have the system in place where there is an outbreak in communities, that these cases are contained and all the appropriate measures are taking place,"she sought to assure. 

 

Dr. Francine Phillips-Kelly, Acting Medical Officer of Health for St. James, reported that there was no community spread in the area.

 

"We were able to contain it... There are only two/three other persons who have not gone through to the recovery period of their illness. So all other members (in) the first set of persons that we had tested have recovered and they are fine and they're home," she revealed. 

 

A team led by Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton is in Norwood carrying out further sensitisation sessions about COVID-19.

 

Dr. Phillips-Kelly told the St. James Municipal Corporation that it is hoped the sessions will help to remove the stigma from the community and "defray this wrong image."

 

                                            

In the meantime, the St. James Public Health Department said a major recruitment exercise is underway for about 107 community health aides.

 

They will be responsible for areas in public health other than the coronavirus and will be placed in communities to reach specifically "the elderly, children and other disproportionate members of communities."