#BTEditorial – Necessity is the mother of change

The past Easter weekend was definitely one with a difference. Instead of a full house at the traditional Good Friday three-hour afternoon and Easter morning services, clerics, including Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, spoke via live streaming as the global policy of social distancing meant there was no congregation in attendance. The skies above Barbados were quieter because there were fewer kites in the air than normal, and for the first time since the late 1970s, there was no Oistins Fish Festival, which has become a staple on the island’s entertainment and social calendar.

Since Barbados has been under a 24-hour curfew, which was initially expected to end today but was extended last week to May 3, we have had to make significant changes to our daily routine. With the closure of utility companies, banks and other outlets for physical bill payments, Barbadians have had to resort to online solutions, which, in all honesty, are relatively easy to set up and save people the hassle of walking around with lots of cash and standing in long lines at counters.

The Education Sector Enhancement Programme first mooted some 25 years ago, one of whose components was online learning has now become a reality from primary to tertiary level institutions. The start of the third term of the current academic year was scheduled for today and some teachers got the ball rolling by introducing students and parents to the new technology by sending them preliminary lessons via the Internet. There is still no word as to when students will actually head back to the classroom, and with one school, namely, the Blackman and Gollop Primary School, being used to house COVID-19 patients, it seems as though it will be a while yet, but at least the children will be kept busy during their time home and teachers will manage to complete their syllabi for the academic year.

The decision to reopen supermarkets, along with hardware stores and banks for specific hours, and having them welcome patrons based on their surnames, as well as setting aside special days for the elderly, disabled and essential workers, is a good one, and ideally when it goes into operation later this week, ideally transactions should go more smoothly.

The Prime Minister has also spoken of allowing fruit and vegetable vendors to ply their trade, but naturally, this should be within a controlled setting instead of allowing them to randomly set up stalls on the street, and health and safety measures should be given top priority, with strict and enforced penalties in case of any violations, especially since COVID-19 began life in markets selling fresh produce in China late last year.

Here is the new schedule to assist Barbadians in going about their business, just to recap: People with surnames starting with A and B, will be eligible to go to supermarkets, fish markets or hardware stores between 8 and 11 a.m. on Mondays, and Fridays from 1 till 4 p.m.; and to commercial banks on Mondays from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m.

Those with surnames starting with C, D, E, F, can go to the supermarket, fish market, hardware store between 8 and 11 on Wednesdays, and Saturdays between 1 and 4; banking Wednesdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

G, H, I, J, K – supermarket, fish market and hardware store between 8 and 11 on Thursdays, and from 1 till 4 p.m. on Mondays, while banking is Thursdays between 9 am and 1 pm.

L, M, N, O, P, Q, R – supermarket, fish market and hardware store between 8 and 11 on Fridays, and on Tuesdays between 1 and 4 p.m.; banking is Fridays between 9 a.m .and 1 p.m.

S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z – supermarket, fish market and hardware store between 8 and 11 on Saturdays, Wednesdays between 1 and 4 p,m., bank is Wednesdays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Senior citizens and the disabled – supermarket, fish market and hardware store between 8 and 11 on Tuesdays, and 9 and 11 on Sundays, banking day are Tuesday between 9 a.m and 1 p.m.

Health care workers and other essential workers – Supermarket, fish market and hardware store between 8 and 11 on Thursdays between 1 and 4, and Sundays between 11 a.m .and 2 p.m; banking between 1 and 4 p.m. on Thursdays.

We commend this system, but ideally, it should be extended during this time to the National Insurance Scheme for people who have lost their jobs during this pandemic so they can submit their forms or collect their benefit cheques. And although it has somehow slipped under the radar this year, April is the traditional month for filing income tax returns, so the Barbados Revenue Authority could benefit from it as well.

Regarding Government departments, since it came to office the present administration has spoken at length about streamlining the operations of the public service, and as we all know, certain departments are notorious for long lines, unanswered telephones and other basic service requirements that lead to frustration and lots of wasted time. We are of the view that the system of allocating people to certain days and times on the basis of their surnames to facilitate doing business will be useful in the long run at the NIS, Inland Revenue and the Barbados Licensing Authority.

It is often said, “necessity is the mother of invention.” In this case, out of necessity Barbadians have had to make significant changes to their status quo overnight, but some of these changes do have long term merit and those involving information and communications technology will propel us further along the road of creating a “smart Barbados”.