Like many other countries around the world affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Barbados is in lockdown, as we try to observe the protocols for preventing the spread of the disease, which has so far affected more than 60 people here and, sadly, taken three lives.
It has certainly shown us that we cannot take everything for granted and that we should be grateful for the freedoms we normally enjoy when we think of the fact that we cannot go anywhere unless it is absolutely necessary.
But now, we ought to consider some of the more human aspects of the ‘lockdown’.
Every day we are bombarded with statistics from all over the world, which are, to say at the very least, staggering, and when it comes to the number of deaths, shocking and alarming.
Beyond the numbers, we must recognise that these statistics are people’s parents, grandparents, friends, workmates, siblings, spouses or life partners, neighbours, who may be denied a proper funeral because there are so many people dying all at once and owing to their condition it would not be safe to give them an individual send-off, further adding to the grief.
From the perspective of the family and friends of the deceased, there is the matter of closure, because not getting to say goodbye to that loved one can be hard.
This is where churches can come in; they may not be able to hold their regular services anymore, but they should still make themselves available to offer counselling to their members who may be grieving.
It might also be a good idea for the families of patients to hold memorial services at a later date if possible and practical to say that final farewell. The same applies to the relatives of other people who have died at this time and owing to the social distancing protocols those outside of the immediate family whose lives the deceased touched in some way would have been unable to attend the funeral service.
We must also be concerned with the future of the living, the hundreds and thousands who have lost their jobs or are working reduced hours owing to the fact businesses considered non-essential have closed their doors.
Many have filed claims with the National Insurance Department, whose website promises to get back to them within two days. We understand there are lots of claims at present, but a promise is a promise and people should not be kept waiting for weeks before they get some sort of electronic response after being urged to submit their claims via that method.
There are families dependent on those funds, especially those where the laid-off person might have been the sole breadwinner or the one who earned the bigger salary in the household.
On that score, we know that banks and credit unions have for years encouraged customers to use electronic banking, but some people, particularly the elderly, do prefer the personal interaction and still do not trust “machines”.
We can only hope that companies who make deposits to the banks in order to pay their staff did so in a timely fashion before the lockdown so that people are not left in the lurch, unable to support themselves at a time fraught with uncertainty. We would suggest for those not using the electronic banking facilities that now is as good a time as any to get acquainted with them.
We welcome Acting Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw’s announcement that after consulting with the supermarket chains on the island, Barbadians can gain access to a ‘basket of goods’ in varying amounts ranging from $25 to $150, which they can order online, pay for and collect through a variety of methods.
In making the announcement, Bradshaw also urged Barbadians to understand that the basket covered some basic commodities that were considered necessities and not luxuries, so we would hope Barbadians are grateful and do not complain about its contents.
Indeed, it might be a good idea for the retailers to keep these baskets as a permanent fixture in their online offerings, and with the hurricane season coming up in just a matter of weeks, they could possibly add some of the supplies associated with that time of the year to it. Such a move will hopefully put the brakes on the mad rush on supermarkets that often accompanies a hurricane alert.
Once again, we must bear in mind that these measures are only for a season and to exercise some patience and understanding. That does not mean that when the curfews are lifted, and when the time comes that we are no longer recording as many cases, that we should quickly revert to our old ways.
As the experts have warned, there may be another wave of this pandemic to come, so all the social distancing and personal hygiene protocols must remain in effect for the foreseeable future.
