Should we really go back to the ways things were?
Dear Editor,  The islandwide cases and deaths from COVID-19 have been trending downwards for some weeks. The Government has rightfully maintained some of its containment measures. The result is that we have seen a sustained decline of new cases and deaths over the past several weeks. Now the Government is slowly, cautiously, carefully  and, again, rightfully so  signalling a return to normal activities by easing many of the restrictive measures. Now, I have nothing against parties; nobody can dance or have a great time at parties like I can! And, similarly, I have nothing against extracurricular activities after school. And I don't have a problem with church in general  well, maybe a little, but that's another story. I think it's fair to say that if we were honest with ourselves we would have to admit that, as a country, we have devolved into a fairly irresponsible people in many ways. Here's one idea: Set a permanent curfew 11:00 pm - 5:00 am on Sunday to Thursday, and 2:00 am to 5:00 am Friday and Saturday. People can still socialise during the week and and get a good night's rest to go to work the next day  and they can party all they want on Friday and Saturday. Something as simple as this should start to set the environment for building a more productive workforce. I'm calling on all individuals of influence in business, academia, social and community groups, government, and other social architects to challenge themselves, and, indeed, each other, to find ways to make Jamaica come out better after this pandemic. We can do it if we want. We can be a better Jamaica! Sheldon Neil  sheldon@goodwilltucker.com