Covid-19 Intervention Programme Making An Impact In Westmoreland

Health Promotion and Education Officer at the Westmoreland Health Department, Gerald Miller, says that the COVID-19 intervention programme which targeted taxi operators in the parish, is still making an impact a year later after its implementation.
Speaking with JIS News, Mr. Miller said that research undertaken by the Ministry of Health and Wellness showed that persons who are in conveyance, are two or three times more likely to be infected than someone in a household.
“So, it was out of that we had decided to embark on that initiative since the taxi men would have been in that group,” he stated.
Mr. Miller noted that the health department conducted a survey to ascertain if the taxi operators were adhering to the COVID-19 protocols.
“We did interviews, collected the data, analysed it, and we used it to inform strategies in relation to the taxi men,” he informed.
One of the key findings from the survey, Mr. Miller said, was that taxi operators were aware of the risk of not adhering to the protocols. However, some of the operators noted that they had issues with mask wearing compliance from their passengers, even on their insistence.
He noted that operators that ply the Negril, Whitehouse, Grange Hill, Savanna – la- Mar, Darliston and Bethel Town routes in the parish, participated in sensitization sessions which were held as part of the intervention.
The sessions focused on regular cleaning and sanitisation of vehicles, the wearing of masks, sanitising hands, among other measures.
Also, taxi drivers were issued badges detailing the COVID-19 protocols, which are on display for passengers to see in their vehicle.
Mr. Miller stated that so far, there has been an increase in compliance among taxi operators since the implementation of the programme.
Meanwhile, taxi operator, Talford Ramsey, who plies the Negril route in the parish, told JIS News that the badge helps him, and his passengers stay safe while commuting.
“The badge works well…it is very good for us. I have my sanitizer [in the vehicle]. When passengers come in the taxi, passengers see the badge and they work with me, it makes them want to be safe,” Mr. Ramsey said.
For his part, Odane Richard, who plies the Grange Hill route, said because of the badge being on display in his vehicle, passengers make the extra effort to be COVID compliant before getting in his vehicle.
“When [passengers] come and see it [the badge], they put on their mask, if they do not have it on, they cannot come inside the car. They [often] turn back to purchase their mask [if they don’t have any] or ask me if I have any. I got it [badge] about six months ago and it has been working out well,” Mr. Richard told JIS News.