During the two months of covid-19 pandemic I had a few posts but not many as people, me included are getting fed up with it, which is normal. This is (I should say was but it still is) an unprecedented situation, some continents are not used to pandemics of this level, people have never been restricted like this before.
This has been a huge setback and will have devastating economical consequences, worldwide. After two months of lockdown, restrictions have been eased in my country for economical reasons, not because it's safe. The virus is out there, there's still danger at every corner but we need to get used to it and deal with it.
Protective Measures
One of the measure taken by institutes and companies is to take people's temperature before letting them in (workplace, public offices, hospitals, supermarkets). This measure has provoked outrage and indignation. Some say the security person taking people's temperature at the entrance of the supermarket is not qualified as he's not a doctor. This is sheer stupid as you don't have to be a doctor in order to take someone's temperature, you only need a thermometer and learn how to use it, or how to interpret the data. If your body temperature is over , you're not allowed to go in the supermarket and the same rule applies to workplaces as well.
Is That All?
Unfortunately not. A friend of mine told me what's happened at his workplace this week. One of his colleagues failed the test as the thermometer showed 38.5°C. This is an alarming value regardless of pandemic. If your temperature is 38.5°C, it means you're ill, you need a doctor and treatment. It indicates (most likely) there's an inflammation in your body that needs to be taken seriously.
It's just that this guy was perfectly fine, had no symptoms of any kind, which could justify the temperature given by the thermometer. He told the person responsible that it must be a mistake as he was fine but he was sent home regardless and ordered to visit his general practitioner. He called in advance, told the doctor what happened and was told not to go to the cabinet, but stay home for 5 days. He went home, took his own temperature with two different thermometers and both gave a normal result, 36 something. At that point he had no other choice but to stay home for 5 days.
To cut the long story short, he had no problem at all, no high temperature, no other symptoms that could have indicated he was ill. It was a false alarm, a false result given by the thermometer and he was deprived from his normal life and duties for 5 days.
I understand safety comes first and better safe than sorry but this is too much. The doctor could have double checked his temperature and determine that he's not ill, but she chose to play safe. The guy lost a part of his salary, along with his freedom and who know what other things he had planned for that period and couldn't do.
Hypothetically Speaking
Let me give you a scenario. Let's say there's an old person, who lives alone with no one around to help. Let's say he tests positive at the entrance of the supermarket, I mean he gets a high value that is considered unacceptable and he's sent home without being let in to do his shopping. What happens then? Should this person die or hunger just because a wrong result given by a poorly working device?
I believe these measures will be forgotten soon. This should be each person's responsibility, honestly. If you're sick, you don't go anywhere, stay home and call the emergency room. It's that simple. No need for a guy to take your temperature at the entrance. There are many people asymptomatic, which means they don't even know they are sick, those are dangerous but also not detectable with a thermometer either.
Isolating people without even being sure the person is sick is not the answer. There needs to be done more to protect people, not to destroy them. What if more people are given false result and sent home instantly? This is just wrong.