Dr Marie Gréta Roy Clément, Haiti’s Minister of Public Health, recently sent a note to the Prime Minister concerning the reestablishment of the state of health emergency in view of the increase in cases of coronavirus in the country. The Haitian news site, Haiti Libre, printed extracts from Dr. Clément’s note which I’ve included below. Healing Art Missions own Dr. Jacques is working with Dr. Clément on Haiti’s Corona Virus Task Force, and shares her concern. There is some good news in that the Ministry of Health has been able to significantly expand COVID testing to 53 locations throughout Haiti. We feel most fortunate that Dr. Jacques’ leadership is helping shape the response to the pandemic, not only working on behalf of the communities where HAM works, but for all the population of Haiti. The challenge now is to see how the Prime Minister and the Haitian President proceed in support of science and the public health experts in this fight against COVID.
“[...] Considering a very clear increase in Covid-19 cases observed in recent weeks in the country https://www. haitilibre.com/en/news-32773-haiti-covid-19-haiti-special-report- 300.html [...] which raises concerns about a second wave of the pandemic in Haiti.”
Considering that to date, 814 new positive cases have been identified in December 2020, an increase of 300% compared to the 221 cases identified in November 2020. For the first nine days of January 2021, 288 new cases of contamination are reported, which translates to a daily average of 32 confirmed cases. The situation in the metropolitan region remains particularly worrying where 714 of the 814 cases or 87.71% of the new positive cases were notified during the month of December [..]
Considering that in the context of the end of the year celebrations, travel within the national territory or even Haitians from the diaspora returning to Haiti, the risks of the pandemic spreading have increased. Given that during these events barrier gestures, such as wearing a mask, washing hands and physical distancing are not respected very much.
Considering that with the launch of pre-carnival festivities as well as the resumption of school and academic activities in non-compliance with barrier measures, the country risks being drawn into a spiral of the appearance of new foci of the spread of the pandemic if drastic measures are not taken at the highest levels of the Haitian state.
In parallel, the international scientific community, observed, at the end of December 2020, the rapid spread of a new variant of COVID-19 called VUI 202012/01. Initially discovered in the UK, it has spread to many other countries including the United States of America. [...] It would seem that this new strain is more transmissible and that it mainly affects young people. Considering that this 'evolution' of the virus complicates, even more, the reality of the pandemic in the world, particularly in the United States of America, the country most affected by the pandemic, from which also come the majority of flights returning to Haiti and place of residence of many artists and other Haitian compatriots [...] the alarm must be raised if we want to avoid the worst.
Faced with this observation, the Ministry of Public Health requests the intervention of the Prime Minister and the Presidency for the reestablishment of the state of health emergency in order to prevent us from a second wave of the virus which would further complicate the situation of our country. It will be, through this decision of public interest, to impose on the population during the next 15 days the strict respect of the following measures:
1. Curfew from 10:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.
2. Cessation of artistic and cultural activities;
3. Closure of bars, restaurants and night clubs;
4. Reduction of staff working in public institutions while encouraging homework;
5. Installation of water washing points in public spaces;
6. Compulsory wearing of a mask in public spaces;
7. Respect for physical distancing in public spaces;
8. Temperature taking in all private and public institutions and passenger embarkation and disembarkation points;
9. Cancellation of the pre-carnival Sunday festivities;
10. Restriction of the number of participants in ceremonies such as: Baptisms, weddings, funerals, voodoo ceremonies and other religious activities;
11. Operation of universities and schools following a shift and/or rotation system to limit the number of attendees in classrooms."