Barbados woke up to the dreaded but inevitable news this morning.
The coronavirus, COVID-19 had made its unwelcomed visit to our shores.
And it didn’t only capture one patient, but it infected another, both now confined to quarantine. And despite the sensible advice from Prime Minister Mia Mottley and COVID-19 Czar Richard Carter last evening, Barbadians appear stuck in a state of panic.
Admittedly, it’s hard not to be anxious when the information coming from abroad via social media and our television screens give us all sort of messages, the good, the bad and even the ludicrous.
But that is no excuse to behave senselessly like the hundreds who defied the PM’s caution, the appeal from the Chamber of Commerce and the Private Sector Association to desist from panic buying.
At virtually every outlet across the country, there was a run to stock up on food supplies of every kind as if Armageddon had been declared.
A check with any expert fighting COVID-19 will reveal that it is frequent and thorough hand washing, not hoarding to stave off the disease.
While it’s certainly good to be prepared, hoarding causes shortages and encourages price gouging. So just stop!
The focus should be on the important issues and changes we have to make.
Some travel to Barbados and the rest of the region has been curtailed. Key sporting events like the Barbados Secondary Schools Athletic Championship, the Barbados Football Association competitions and other events have been suspended. Government has ordered that public gathering should not exceed 100 and universities have moved classes online. Some companies are allowing their employees to work from home.
Normal life is on hold as Barbados moves to get ahead of this coronavirus epidemic. Dire warnings from tourism officials today signalled disruptive challenges for our bread and butter industry that will no doubt have an impact on the other key sectors.
Our health authorities believe our fight against the virus which has infected two here out of roughly 133,000 worldwide to-date, is to keep it away from the general population – to keep the rate of infection to a minimum
We certainly don’t want the scenario that has been unfolding in Italy and elsewhere where infection rates appear to be out of control to occur here.
Staying clear of any such development will mean proper cooperation and patience from every member of society.
For the most part, our officials have implemented a sound action plan urging behavioural change and limiting public events. Businesses and schools are fully functioning.
So now it befits us to fall in line.
There are several things that we all can do in our homes, businesses, schools and communities.
By now we should all know the drill.
Personal hygiene is king.
You can reduce your risk of infection if you:
Clean hands frequently with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water
Cover nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with a tissue or flexed elbow
Avoid close contact (1 metre or 3 feet) with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms.
We await the outcome of talks involving educational officials and teachers’ unions tomorrow, but in the meantime, schools should ensure their surroundings are regularly cleaned.
Businesses should provide the necessary protective gear for workers and where possible allow those who can efficiently work from home to do so.
In our communities, we should insulate our elderly, run their errands and ensure they have good meals.
While we practice respectful social distancing, we should do all in our power to help each other through this.
And perhaps in a few weeks, months from now we can look at back at this learning experience, as a stronger, better nation.
But for now, let us respond calmly and sensibly.
