MANCHESTER, Jamaica — President of the Jamaica Association for the Resettlement of Returning Residents, Percival LaTouche, has labelled the Government’s restriction on the elderly in a bid to fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as absurd.

“I hear the prime minister say on Monday that after age 75 you must stay home, talking foolishness, so why they don’t get rid of Mike Henry, J C Hutchinson, Karl Samuda and others out of Parliament?” LaTouche said.

“When people come back from England at age 75 they are ‘young’ and ‘healthy’ people, so I don’t know what they [Government] talking about… 90 per cent of returning residents are well over 75 and they are in good health, including myself,” he continued.

“They are telling people they must come off the street at [age] 75, but [senior] Members of Parliament are still in there [Parliament] giving instructions to us, I think that is absurd,” he added.

On Monday, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that as of Wednesday, March 25, citizens aged 75 and over are prohibited from leaving their homes for 14 days, subject to exemptions.

The World Health Organization has indicated that older individuals, particularly those with underlying medical conditions, are more vulnerable to serious complications from COVID-19

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Returning_Residents_Association_head_criticises_1