No physical distancing at Licensing Office

THE EDITOR: After two frustrating months of not being able to get an online appointment to renew my driver’s permit on the Ministry of Works and Transport “pickatime” web link and only getting mailbox full recordings on all the telephone numbers provided, I was eventually advised by a friend that the site had changed.

So, with relief I finally got an appointment at the Wrightson Road Licensing Office a few days after my DP expired.

With my renewal form and appointment confirmation in hand I headed to the office for 9.20 am. Lo and behold, when I arrived there were lines from both ends at the front of the building, with most people wearing masks but of course no social distancing.

This could not be the amount of people with appointments, I said to myself, so obviously I went to the front of the line to enquire as I had my appointment confirmation in hand. I was told by a person who appeared to be security to “wait out dey, ah go call yuh.” Perplexed because he had not asked me why I was there or for my name, I was not sure if to continue standing in front the main door or to join the back of one of the lines.

Then suddenly a very animated woman who was in no discernible wear to suggest she was an employee of the Licensing Office, and with face mask on her chin, started directing people where to stand in line and giving instructions to the security guy.

Well with my hand over my mask for additional protection I got the woman’s attention and told her I had an appointment and if she could direct me. I was told to stand by the front door as I had an exemption – I had no clue what that meant but was happy to be told to stand at the front of the lines.

Eventually the guard called me and only then did he ask what I was there for and, confirming the appointment number from his records, told me to stand in a line with one person in front of me, so properly distanced – after which getting my new DP took about 45 minutes.

I am not sure how many other people have had similar online experiences coupled with that uneasy feeling of being in such close quarters to others during this covid19 time. Surely the number of people conducting business at the Licensing Office or any other government office could easily be regulated for proper physical distancing using the online appointment process and thereby avoiding the need for people to line up like cattle and run the risk of covid19 exposure.

Hopefully, many government transactions will soon be able to be done online (in a user-friendly manner), avoiding the need to line up as we move full speed ahead to digitise the country as promised by the PM.

In the meantime, could we get it right at the Licensing Office (I can only assume it’s the same situation at the other offices) so that proper physical distancing could be practised?

RICARDO LIJERTWOOD

via e-mail