Doc: Keeping unvaxxed from places never ‘safe zone’s’ plan

Emergency Specialist Dr Brian Charles is taking part responsibility for the blunder associated with the roll-out of the so-called “safe zone” measure last week, which has since been sent back to the drawing board.

Admitting that the safe zone measures were rushed, Dr Charles said it gave the impression that individuals who did not take the COVID-19 vaccine would not be allowed in some places, but that was never the intention.

“It is unfortunate, and I take part ownership of this, that this was rushed and the legislation was not done correctly. It is very unfortunate because the impression is that it seems, here will be places where unvaccinated people will not be welcomed. That is not in the Barbados idea. That is not what was meant,” he said.

Dr Charles said: “The safe zones that have been done in Guyana and Trinidad do speak to that, but it was not the intention for here. It is unfortunate that when we sent it to be drafted that part of their legislation was molded into ours.”

Dr Charles was responding to a  question from a member of the audience during the Barbados Yacht Club ‘The Way Forward’ series on Friday, held under the theme COVID-19: Facts, Fiction and Fallacies . . . How Do You Feel About Vaccines?

In late October, weeks after Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that she was aiming to implement safe zones at health care institutions by November 1, a policy titled Safe Zone Implementation Framework for Public and Private Healthcare Institutions in Barbados COVID-19, was introduced.

However, due to confusing wording of the associated Emergency Management (COVID-19 (Safe Zone) Directive 2021, the measure has been delayed.

Dr Charles, who is also associated with the home isolation programme, explained: “The safe zones we want to have here, the places of business are encouraged to be as safe as possible but not affecting the consumers.

“. . . A restaurant cannot tell someone you cannot come in. A restaurant at this point in time cannot tell someone that they can’t come in because they are not vaccinated.

“The waiter who is coming to serve you, the chef, should be vaccinated because we want to make sure there is a level of protection within that establishment so that it is not said that you are likely to be transmitting to someone who is coming into the business. That was the intention. How it was rolled out last week, I am sorry,” said the emergency physician.

Declaring that he was not a fan of the term “safe zone”, he also reported “We are trying not to call it safe zone because you really can’t be safe in a pandemic. So we need to come up with something else to call it. We are not sure what that will be now but we need to come up with something else to call it”.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb