COVID-19 Bajans in anxious wait mode
By George Alleyne
There are somewhat surreal
circumstances in Barbados
where there has so far been limited
public control rules based
on its current stage in the fight
against the Coronavirus, COVID-
19, yet people of the island know
things will get worse but when.
How soon?
As of Wednesday, Barbados
had only 18 infected persons, of
whom 16 were imported and two
contracted the disease within the
local community, and these local
transmissions took the island to
Stage 2 of the world pandemic,
as recognised by various leading
international health authorities.
According to those authorities
the second stage of an outbreak
is when there are cases of
local transmission in the country.
This means that the person
from whom the infection spread
to another person is from and
within the country itself. In this
stage, the path of the virus can
be identified from the source to
all the infected individuals.
At Stage 2 Barbados has limited
public gatherings to no
more than 25 persons. Schools
are closed and persons are asked
to voluntarily remain at home
wherever possible. Many business
places have responded by
closing or reducing services so
few staff have to work.
With the departure of most
airlines that service this destination
Caribbean Life, M 24 arch 27-April 2, 2020
last Sunday, the tourism
industry has effectively shut
down with few remaining hotel
guests scrambling to get on the
remaining flights, the last of
which is set for Thursday.
Stage 3 arises as large areas
get affected when community
transmission takes place.
Stage 4 is when transmission
gets to the level of a local epidemic.
Each stage carries tighter
control of public movement,
and Barbadians are now uneasily
watching developments in
Europe, the UK and the USA
where the pandemic is at Stage
4, knowing it is only a matter of
time that they become subject to
those severe conditions such as a
national lockdown, and perhaps
begin to register deaths among
the infected.
Meanwhile, government has
twinned preparation of added
medical facilities with a number
of finance initiatives to get
money into the pockets of the
large number of persons being
laid-off, especially in the tourism
services industry which is Barbados’
leading economic sector.
The administration has
expended millions building
a field hospital away from the
main infirmary, creating a testing
laboratory and a quarantine
center as it braces for the
onslaught of infected cases that
will be revealed when the island
gets to Stage 3.
Prime Minister, Mia Mottley
announced a trove of monetary
measures aimed at ensuring
that most of those rendered
unemployed or under employed
because of the coming national
epidemic have some money in
their pockets and that businesses
find it easier to survive.
With tourism being the dominant
economic player, layoffs
there are expected to affect the
largest number of workers. The
Barbados Hotel and Tourism
Association has revealed that
so far 30 of the 81 hotels on the
island intend to close, and the
number of closures is expected
to increase as the epidemic
bites.
Mottley said that affected
workers will get 60 percent of
Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley. Photo by George Alleyne
their pay for the laid-off days.
Government has persuaded
banks to introduce a six-month
freeze on loan repayments and
mortgages.
Fifteen hundred of the most
financially threatened households
in this island of some 285,
000 people will receive a monthly
subsidy. Street vendors will
also receive a monthly grant.
Disconnected water supplies
to delinquent customers have
been re-connected.