Common-sense public health precautions required this holiday

Dear Editor,

COVID-19 mandates wouldn’t still be necessary if people stepped up as Guyanese citizens and do the right thing.

We are approaching a time of year that is traditionally one of the most stressful, but this year will have a twist.

Christmas Season 2021 will be the first time that many families gather together since before the COVID-19 pandemic and health crisis.

We all expect another unique holiday season this year, unlike in last year, as many workers have been asked to return to work as COVID-19 infection rates seem to be dropping and many have been receiving their vaccines.

However, this doesn’t mean that the year will end with a full return to pre-pandemic “business as usual.” The past year has shown that, after so many months of working from home or in hybrid work arrangements, employees are less inclined to comply with rigid office guidelines and schedules.

However, there are people who apparently want the COVID-19 pandemic to continue. Tested, proven, safe vaccines developed in record time are freely available, a few common-sense public health precautions are all that is being asked of citizens. After almost a thousand deaths and severe illnesses, it is hard to understand the rage and resistance being demonstrated in some circles of Guyana. You would think the Government was telling us to gargle with cleanser, or take livestock dewormer or some such nonsense.

We hear a lot of yelling about personal freedom, but freedom is best defended when we pull together, not when we risk health and safety for the politics of rejection and failure.

I think most of us would like to feel free to go out in the community without being exposed to a potentially deadly disease, or visit family without putting them at risk.

Some regard for public health is simply a part of good citizenship. Remember civics lessons in school? No one likes masks, or traffic lights. Freedom to speak, worship, travel and vote are not impinged because we can’t drive through red lights or must wear a mask.

As leaders and managers, we must be sensitive to two key factors this year that are different from years prior: One, this could be the first time since before the pandemic that many employees are gathering with their families to celebrate holiday traditions. Two, this year, many families will gather while facing significant loss of a loved one due to the pandemic. In some cases, this may be a family’s first major gathering to mourn their loss since stricter limitations on large gatherings were lifted.

For so many, this holiday season will be all about balancing love and loss; as a leader, showing empathy to workers and staying flexible can make a difference in employee retention into 2022.

Consider allowing more flexibility in schedules, start times, and locations to encourage employees to travel and enjoy their holiday time. While there may be limitations to flexibility depending on the industry, across the board, workers report feeling burned out, especially in certain industries, like hospitality, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and production.

It’s easy to get caught up in the rigours of the holiday season, between end-of-year deadlines, family obligations, parties with friends and colleagues, and holiday gift shopping (anticipated to be even more challenging this year due to supply chain issues). With so many factors at play, it’s equally easy to lose sight of the true meaning of these holidays — a time to be kind, be generous whenever possible, be thankful, and gather together.

This Christmas season will be our second since the pandemic started. We’ve learned many lessons about COVID-19, and the vaccines have helped with our comfort level about getting together. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still precautions that can be taken as we gather for this holiday.

I think everybody was hoping this time last year that today, a year from that point, we’d be able to say, ‘There’s very little worry, very little concern.’ But that is not the case.

I always tell people, ‘Listen, when you’re dealing with something like a global pandemic, you just gotta take life day by day, and not act as if the ending has already arrived, because it hasn’t. And in many parts of our country, COVID rates are quite high right now. As the number of people with COVID-19 continues to increase in the current pandemic, everyone has a role to play in taking care of ourselves and their loved ones, and slowing the spread of the new coronavirus.

Sincerely,

David Adams