EVEN as Government seeks to put some activities in the country on pause for at least two weeks to get COVID-19 under control, great thought has been given to ensuring that there is compliance of the protocols during the lockdown period among those who are deemed essential services, and then when the country is expected to reopen around mid-February.
During an address to the nation on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley as she outlined a plan to introduce a new curfew and the closure of most businesses from February 3 to 17, revealed that the Government has agreed to establish posts classified as chief compliance officers. Their jobs, she said, will be to make sure that in large government departments in particular, such as the healthcare facilities, the protective services, ports of entry and markets that persons are complying with all of the protocols.
“I’ll be fair, for the most part, businesses in Barbados have literally been complying with the protocols. Where we have dropped our guard as the Minister of Health has told us repeatedly, has been in the communities, on the ground, in the shops and the blocks, all of those areas and we will make sure that we aggressively enforce going forward, because the chances of persons getting ill when we don’t enforce are simply too great,” she contended.
Barbadians must give their help and support
With that in mind, the Prime Minister reminded Barbadians tuning in to the televised address, that even with aggressive enforcement, they have a part to play as well, and must be willing to give their help and support to ensure the fight against COVID can be a success. She suggested that once the protocols are followed, there is at least an 80 per cent chance of fighting COVID-19, which she described as an “invisible enemy”.
Her comments came as she urged Barbadians to ensure they wear their masks correctly and sanitise their hands on a regular basis to keep the virus at bay. From next Wednesday, the wearing of masks will be mandatory in public places, but she indicated that exceptions would be made for persons who are exercising or who have medical conditions which prevent them from doing so.
“If you cannot wear the mask or face covering, by reason of medical, physical or mental illness or disability, we will understand that; if you’re eating or drinking or taking medication or speaking as I said, we will understand that. But let us try to do the right thing, and that is do it because one, you are protecting first and foremost yourself; secondly, the ones that you love; thirdly, the ones that you work with; and fourthly, all other Bajans that you’re interacting with.”
She added, “We also are asking you immediately to get back to arming yourselves with the hand sanitizers as a way of life... I am saying to all the women out there, when you pick up your handbag, pick up your hand sanitizer. I’m saying to the men, when you pick up your cell phone, pick up your hand sanitizer. Let the cell phone and the hand sanitizer become a Siamese twin. Wash your hands and your face as often as possible.”
Exercise responsibility
The Prime Minister further stated that even when visiting family or friends, masks should be worn. While acknowledging that the Government cannot enforce such a measure in the home, she urged persons to do it for their own safety and that of their loved ones.
“In a sense, this talk this evening is as much about the adoption of personal responsibility as anything else... When we became independent, we did a wonderful job of telling people about our rights, but we didn’t do as good a job of reinforcing what our responsibilities are. And as I’ve said on so many occasions, if we left a house unattended to, then it would start to fall apart on its own because we’re not maintaining it. Similarly, if we don’t exercise responsibility first to ourselves, our bodies, to our families, to everyone in our immediate environment, our work colleagues, then we put them all at risk,” the country’s leader contended. (JRT)