People Speak about the coronavirus: "I urge Dominicans to… take precautions and preparations"

Four individuals were randomly interviewed on the streets of Roseau last week about their views on the coronavirus.

The people we spoke to said they were fearful and concerned about the possibility of having a case of the coronavirus in Dominica.

"It is rather disheartening to see how quickly the numbers of deaths are increasing daily because of the virus. I am saddened that a cure has not been found yet. Since the world is big, yet so small, I am hoping that there will be no reported cases of anyone being infected in the Caribbean", said lecturer at the Dominica State College, Gail Sharplis.

Senior Committee Health Nurse, Florestine Lewis, said the virus is something to be concerned about and that personal hygiene should be taken seriously as it can prevent the spread of the virus.

"The coronavirus is something to really be concerned about because of the possibility of infecting so many people. The virus seems to be very potent meaning that it has the tendency to spread to lots of people and because it is killing people this is something we really have to be serious about," she said.

Lewis said the virus is spread by droplets meaning from people who are either coughing or sneezing. She encourages those who are in packed areas especially during the carnival season to be aware of the people who show signs of flu-like symptoms.

"People are coming from all over the world to come and join our carnival so that is something that makes me concerned; however, because China seem to be controlling the amount of people leaving China to come to the other parts of the world, I feel a little bit better knowing that they are at least trying to stop the spread to other countries. But for us in Dominica, I think we need to be vigilant; I think we need to be cautious when we have a crowd setting that we stay away from people you see who are actively coughing or sneezing," she said.

Student at the Dominica State College and also a contestant at the Mas Jamboree modeling section, Sheldon Piper, said if a cure is not found and control has not been put in place he might rethink his decision about moving abroad to further his studies.

"As a young man growing up and wanting to further his studies abroad, this coronavirus is very life threatening. This allows me to rethink about my decision which is very discouraging due to this. I really pray and hope that a cure is found and that we fight this virus because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us", he said.

Administration Assistant, Daisy Rodney, said she does not believe that the country is equipped enough to handle this virus and therefore preventive measures is the way to reduce the chances of the virus affecting people.

"I think the coronavirus is a deadly disease and for all our older people who live here I would urge them to ensure that their caretakers take care of themselves because we're a small country. We're very small therefore if one of us even catches that virus it will spread very quickly and I honestly don't believe that we in Dominica are well equipped or fully equipped to handle this kind of virus. With the types of technology that these countries have and they are still not able to handle it fully much less for us here in Dominica; so I urge Dominicans to ensure that they take precautions and preparations. Ensure that they exercise proper hygiene as well as, if you feel like you have the flu or cold, stay home, take your fluids and drink a lot of water," she said.

By Sergeline Michel