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Being a tightly knitted community, residents of Park Lane off Red Hills Road in St Andrew are not leaving anything to chance where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is concerned. They have teamed up in an effort to keep their community free of the virus.

There is a barricade created from lumber at the entrance of the lane and sanitation checkpoint manned by an altruistic resident Janet Baker. She told THE STAR that she is willing to dedicate her time to ensure that her community is safe.

"Me nuh really enjoying doing it but me just deh here just gwan do it fi protect everybody. Remember we have elder wah can't walk and we wouldn't wah know say dem have the virus, and also the kids dem" said Baker . "Better we protect we self so that's why me go down a the lane mouth and anybody coming in me hand sanitize them."

Man the checkpoint

Baker was seen in her HAZMAT suit, signalling both pedestrians and vehicles to stop and get sanitized before entry to the lane.

"A from Monday me down here, me just get up and say me a guh do it and everybody affi sanitize, anybody wah don't wah take the sanitizer have to go back out, dem cyah go in," Baker told THE STAR. "That's why the road block too so when the car them a come in too, we can stop them fi sanitize."

Roy Vassell occasionally assists Baker to man the checkpoint.

"Me come down here from 6 in the morning and we nuh go in until a curfew time (6 p.m.). Me nuh wah COVID get into the community suh me just a gwan help with fi protect. There's a lot of people in the lane so we have to do this and protect the kids and the people, and demand that everybody keep far from each other," he said.

"We don't know where some of them go but we still protect dem coming in," he added.

Charmaine Simmonds, an elderly resident of Park Lane, said she fully supports the checkpoint

"A good thing Janet a do for our community because me nuh want nobody from outside bring it in, or our people go out and come in with it. Me like how she a sanitize the people dem in and out, everybody," Simmonds told THE STAR.

"Everybody come together sometime and we give a little donation fi buy the stuff them fi use," Simmonds said.

Samantha, another resident, plays a key role in ensuring that the sanitization station is maintained.

"I go around in the community and let people know about what she is doing and if they have anything like alcohol or hand towel, I collect them. At the end of the day, we are protecting ourselves, community and country," she said. "Some people in the community will say they have their own sanitizers but we don't work it like that, everybody have to stop and get sanitized."