Religious organisations have reintroduced health measures in response to the announcement by Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh that there is an uptick in COVID-19 infections in the country.
Yesterday, the Catholic Archdiocese said that out of an abundance of caution, its health and safety secretariat is recommending that parishioners exercise a high level of preventative care to minimise contracting any viral, respiratory illness.
Global reports detailed a rise in COVID-19, influenza and other viruses.
The Archdiocese stated that each parish priest, in conjunction with the parish council/leadership team, may select from any or all the COVID-19 preventative measures. Recommendations to be considered include practising good respiratory, hand and personal hygiene, mask-wearing indoors, keeping windows and doors open, and halting the sharing of the blood of Christ.
Other religious leaders are also following suit.
The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) reimposed measures at their temples and schools since last Friday.
“In our temples, what I have done, I have also asked them to institute all health protocols, optional masks but further than that I have asked them to take a ledger, a book, and take the name of all those persons that attend, where possible. So that if there is an outbreak by chance, we are able to trace and contact all these persons,” said SDMS secretary general Vijay Maharaj.
Maharaj added that some of the protocols are recommendations, while others are mandatory.
“It is all precautionary, it is all optional but we’re recommending it. It is a recommendation in our schools and in our temples. What I just mentioned, I’ve made it mandatory – mandatory in hand washing, mandatory in temperature taking. Masks are optional, we’re not checking for vaccine cards or anything like that,” he explained.
Similarly, the Anjuman Sunnat ul Jamaat Association (ASJA) has urged members of their faith to follow COVID-19 protocols even if they are not mandatory. However, ASJA’s secretary general Rahimool Hosein expressed frustration over the government’s failure to alert the public about the rise in infections sooner.
“We are bit disappointed. The government, since December 28 they have been noticing Covid cases and they did not take the time to inform the general public. I assume they didn’t want people to panic but we only became aware of it last night (Monday) when it was highlighted on the news,” he said.
Nonetheless, he said ASJA is preparing to reimpose measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
“We are beginning to institute measures to protect self and others. The education board, we are in the process of doing up a memo to send out to all our schools reminding them of the protocols to be observed whether the government makes it mandatory or not to wear the mask or to social distance.
“We are also in the process of informing our Jamaats to please observe the Covid protocols, not probably as stringent as it was in the height of the Covid pandemic, but with this thing coming on here which could be very unpredictable, we will take all the necessary measures to ensure that we are not carriers or spreaders of this Covid,” he continued.
Anglican Archbishop Claude Berkley told Guardian Media during a telephone interview that the church will encourage mask-wearing and social distancing again. He said sick individuals will be advised to stay at home. Moreover, he noted that sanitisers remained a permanent fixture since the pandemic and will continue to be utilised.
Serious cases in Tobago
Meanwhile, Tobago is seeing a spike in people seeking treatment for respiratory infections.
Dr Faith BYisrael Secretary for the Division of Health, Wellness, and Social Protection said this is concerning but not surprising as this surge in respiratory infections is not unexpected, since October usually marks the beginning of flu season.
She said, “As far as I am aware, we have only reported we’ve only recorded about four cases of COVID-19 in Tobago specifically, between December and January. We have had no COVID related deaths as far as I’m aware, in Tobago for that period.”
She cautioned that these flu infection figures are based solely on reported cases, and there may be individuals who have contracted the virus but have not sought medical attention.
“In Tobago, we are witnessing a circulation of COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory pathogens that are causing respiratory illnesses, mirroring the global trend,” BYisrael said.
She added: “It’s important to note though that we are seeing some serious cases of influenza and other respiratory infections and those are causing hospitalisations. We are seeing them in both adults and children. Again, these are non-COVID-related respiratory infections.”
BYisrael underscored the importance of preventative measures and good hygiene practices to minimise the risk of infection. She encouraged all on the island to practice proper hygiene and isolate if they present flu-like symptoms. - With reporting by Elizabeth Gonzales