~says one death is too much while carnival does not worth the life of anyone.~
PHILIPSBURG: --- Local medical professional Dr. Michel Petit congratulated the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) for their efforts to making carnival 2021 COVOD-19 free. However, Dr. Petit said after reviewing the health and safety plan he has several questions for the organizers and the government of St. Maarten whom he said endorsed the plan and gave SCDF the greenlight to continue with their planning for Carnival 2021.
In the plans, SCDF said that they will have 6 disinfecting machines at the entrance of Festival Village that will spray chemicals on persons that want to enter the village. Petit said that some of these machines take temperatures and have UV-C radiation, he said while he does not which of these machines SCDF will be using, most likely they will be using sprays. Dr. Petit provided a PAHO report that clearly states that this type of technology is not recommended to use on humans. PAHO stated in its report that tunnels and similar devices pose harmful effects to human health while they are not effective to inactivate viruses in or on humans while giving a false sense of security. (see full report).
Dr. Petit said that he is disappointed with the decision government has taken because there is also an issue with liability since there will be people that will have allergic reactions to the chemicals that will be used. Some allergies he said could be minor while some can be detrimental to human life. He said some people could react by getting an anaphylactic shock that will cause death. Petit said he is also hoping that the SCDF puts the necessary insurances in place because if people lose their life due to allergic reaction.
The well-known health professional said that he is yet to understand how will SCDF or government control the consumption of alcohol and recreational drug that are available to carnival revelers. He also wondered how will intoxicated people respect the COVID-19 guidelines such as wearing masks and not touching each other.
Dr. Michel Petit said that no carnival is worth the life of anyone. He further lamented on the spread of COVID-19 and the different mutations around the world. He said in the UK, and other parts of Europe already have so many cases with the mutation variation while there is a new mutation from Brazil that is far worst since it has 24 spike proteins changes. Petit concluded that St. Maarten is in deep trouble with its intentions to host carnival 2021.
Click here to read the PAHO report on disinfectant machines.
