“We knew before you told us’: Readers on COVID-19 community spread

The announcement of community spread of the coronavirus has come as no surprise to many Barbadians, according to Barbados TODAY  readers.

On Saturday, Minister of Health Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic said: “For those cases where we have exhausted our efforts in terms of finding a link, we now, based on the public health officials’ reporting, have reached the stage where we believe, and we are declaring that there is community transmission in Barbados.”

The health minister’s comment immediately prompted reactions from online readers.

One reader said: “We knew before you told us, Mr Minister.” Another added: “Now wait to confirm? The public was debating that 800 cases ago.”

Pam Smith said: “Such devastating news after all the hard work of Barbadians which now feels the effects of visitors who too often showed scant regard for the Barbados COVID-19 protocols which kept them safe for so long with a total of nine deaths.”

But some readers blamed this new stage of the virus’’s spread on the Government.

Que Pérez declared: “There was community spread from the moment they requested contact tracing from the bus crawl…Trust me, the more they test, the more they will find..but, you can’t stop testing.

“Everyone (needs) to be extra careful; follow protocols to avoid being tested positive. Sadly, it has got to an inevitable stage.”

DW Zenghetti said: “Congratulations to the government on placing us in this mess by their negligence. You all had one job… just had to ensure government was proactive in ensuring no tourists breached quarantine. You placed that responsibility solely on the hotels? During a global pandemic with a deadly virus? That’s the government’s job. Any tourist coming here is a potential threat to national security and safety.

“We’ll all fight this scourge…no surrender, no retreat, ” Joan Clarke said.  (KB)