Re-opening Seychelles – post COVID-19 |21 April 2020
The world will never be the same again – post COVID-19.
2020 may have presented itself as one of the most difficult and challenging years in our lives as Seychellois citizens amid the coronavirus pandemic, but rest assured that GOD is providing us and the leaders of this country with a learning curve to face the even more challenging future, post COVID-19.
Sir, while we sit and think on the strategic planning of ‘re-opening Seychelles – post COVID-19’, I sincerely believe that ‘social distancing’ should be the new way of life after the pandemic... I anticipate that the leaders of our country will incorporate an order to reflect ‘social distancing’ in Seychelles and enhance good and better social practices. However, the order of ‘social distancing’ should not impair, restrict or curtail freedoms.
Moreover, as we ‘re-open Seychelles’ to the outside world, I will suggest that we install temperature detection machines or heat/thermal scanners at the International Airport for arrival lounge mainly and we can even consider the departure lounge. Then again, someone (or a medical staff) trained to operate the machine will then pick-out the high temperature traveller(s) and do successive tests in a designated health area at the International Airport or designated ports of entry.
And while we reflect or deliberate on the above, we can also consider the applications of the thermal detection machines at the domestic terminals on Mahé as well as on Praslin. We can also consider to install the detection (temperature) machines at the main port as one of the other ports of entry in Seychelles.
I was also reminiscing about the fact that maybe we can also encourage tourism establishments (since they are the main settlements for imported circumstances), to install such machines or use the temperature detectors at their establishments. If you were to get my outright decision on the matter, I will rather consider the temperature machines rather than having to point a temperature detector/gun at every arriving or departing guest/client.
On another note, we should also encourage the population to make effective and efficient use of hand sanitisers and best hygiene practices, such as continuously washing the hands with soap, even post COVID-19.
I will also call on the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) to continue with the sensitising cleanliness programmes, adverts and podcasts of COVID-19, even after Seychelles re-opens its doors to the world.
Sirs, I will also envisage that doctors will now adhere to take the temperatures of patients, as part of their regular checks when a patient visits the doctor, under all circumstances.
Another point of reflection, is ensuring safety and health measures at the schools, since we are all aware that we have large groupings, especially of pupils at the schools. I will suggest that the heads of the schools are equipped with temperature detectors on the school premises as primary equipment to take the temperature of pupils who could fall ill at school.
From this point above, I will also suggest that the ‘Hotline 141’ and the ‘Health Task Force’ remains operational, even post COVID-19. This will allow feasible cases to be tackled under a minimum time-span and further tests could be conducted to confirm the status of pupils, students, teachers or the population at large.
I rest assured that COVID-19 may be here to stay for an uncertain and undefined time until such time that it is extinct from the face of the Earth, as per GOD’s Will. So, we need to continue to take as many precautions, even after re-opening Seychelles to the Global Village.
Let us pray that when the pandemic ends, we shall all be ‘new lights’ in the unforeseeable future and rest all our decisions and ways of life in the ‘hands of the Almighty GOD’.
Jacob Terence Madeleine
The National Unity Advocate of Seychelles