Franklyn: Government has bungled COVID-19 response

Outspoken Senator Caswell Franklyn has accused Government of “bungling” its efforts in the fight against COVID-19.

Franklyn has contended that the Mia Mottley-led administration did more harm than good by hastily implementing a 24-hour curfew and then again with its speedy decision to reopen supermarkets and post offices earlier this week.

In fact, the outspoken trade unionist described Government’s initiatives as “hit or miss”.

“The handling of this crisis has been plagued with the bungling that is now characteristic of anything that this administration touches. So far, we are told that there is no evidence of any community spread of the virus but it would seem that the end result of the Government’s initiatives would lead to what we fear most.

“What did the Government think would happen when it gave one day’s notice of a 24-hour curfew? As was reasonably foreseeable, people rushed to supermarkets in their thousands, ignoring any suggestion of physical or social distancing. Take some sobering time to imagine what could have happened if there were any carriers of the Coronavirus in those lines,” Franklyn said in a press release issued today.

“As if Government failed to learn from its mistakes, post offices were opened for a limited period in order to allow pensioners to cash their National Insurance pension cheques. The foreseeable result happened: hundreds of vulnerable persons throng the post offices thereby creating an incubator for the spread of the Coronavirus,” he added.

Franklyn said having initially met with the Prime Minister as part of the Social Partnership to plan strategies for the fight against COVID-19, he was optimistic that plausible initiatives would have been put in place.

However, he said this had not happened.

“Rather than busy itself with measures to protect the people of this country, some 12 days after the consultation, Government rushed to Parliament and passed legislation that was already on the books, to manage the ensuing crisis. In essence, that legislation amended the Emergency Management Act by re-enacting certain provisions that already existed at section 28 of the same Act; also at sections 2 and 3 of the 1939 Emergency Powers Act; and at section 25 of the Constitution. The amendment also went on to give powers to the Chief Medical Officer that he already had since 1969,” Franklyn noted.

“Needless to say, those initial steps did not give me any confidence that Government was capable of handling the situation. However, I remained quiet hoping that somehow that they would get it right. I’ve tried to hold my peace but the situation has now reached a stage that I am compelled to speak-up . . . ” (RB)