Minister of Public Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony is urging parents to ensure their children are aware of the seriousness of COVID-19 and the need to observe the gazetted precautionary measures. The Minster made this appeal in his COVID-19 update on Tuesday.
“My understanding is that lot of the students whilst away from school, there is a lot of intermingling in the community and they are doing that without observing the same rules, that we have, wearing masks, avoiding crowded places, sanitising their hands. There is the possibility, if you don’t do these things, then they are going to get affected and they can bring that infection home,” he said.
Dr. Anthony said parents must remind their children, frequently, about how the disease is transmitted.
He said counselling is also available to parents or guardians who may be struggling to cope with the challenges imposed by the pandemic.
On December 1, the Ministry’s Mental Health Unit launched its ‘Safe Space’ 24-hour hotline to provide counselling services to persons experiencing mental health challenges, parents who may be overwhelmed and children who are experiencing anxiety.
“We have that system in place and we have also trained a lot of our primary care physicians to offer that level of support. So, parents can reach out if they feel overwhelmed and they can’t deal with the ongoing issue of the pandemic,” Dr. Anthony explained.
The hotline is accessible to everyone free of cost. Counselling is available at telephone 655-safe (655-7233).DPI
