BARP asks younger folk to stay clear of elderly

With nine COVID-19 related deaths in 17 days, all of them over 50, the head of the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) Marilyn Rice-Bowen has suggested younger individuals with an elderly loved one move out of home for the moment and wear a mask when they visit.

Seven died of COVID-19 last month alone, as many as in all of 2020. And just four days into February, two people have already died of complications from the virus.

Four men and five women have died so far this year, with the youngest at 51 and the eldest at 93.

The deaths came amid a sharp spike in the number of COVID-19 cases since December.

Rice-Bowen told Barbados TODAY she was encouraging all elderly individuals to take charge of their surroundings and protect their health.

She said: “On behalf of BARP, I want to first extend our condolences to the families of the bereaved. At the same time, I would like to advise all seniors in Barbados, who we refer to as nation builders – which they are – that with immediate effect they have to take charge of their health.

“By that, I mean that they have to deny entry into their space to anyone who refuses to wear a mask, be it their children, caregiver or whoever – no mask, no entry! If they have young ones who reside with them and because of their social or professional commitments they find it difficult to stay inside, well, they ought to seek alternative accommodation until. Our ultimate aim right now is to protect our seniors.”

The BARP head said she was concerned about the health and safety of senior citizens, explaining that although they were “staying inside”, it was easy for any family member or close friend to infect them once they interact with other people and then come around them without a mask.

She said since the lockdown, BARP officials have started to check in with some of the more than 24,000 members and noted there was a “natural fear” among them.

Rice-Bowen said: ‘Our membership is the most vulnerable in the society so there is a high level of fear, but what we want to say to them is to exercise caution and remember we will keep hope alive, we will do everything in our power and we want them to do everything in their power to protect themselves. This is now about protection. This is about life or death. Protect your space, we can’t say it enough.

“Collectively as an organization and as seniors in this country and collectively as nation builders we will get through this, but we have to make sure that we follow the protocols, make sure we stay inside and deny entry to anybody who wants to come into our space without a mask on. We have to take charge. As of today, take charge of your health. There is no sense running scared. Stand up, face it but we have to take charge.”.

With Barbados set to receive some 100,000 doses of vaccine “shortly” for about  50,000 people including frontline workers and those who are considered most vulnerable, Rice-Bowen said she was looking forward to the elderly population getting it once it is meant to help protect them.

No survey has yet been done among the thousands of BARP members on where they stand on taking the jab, but government officials on Thursday embarked on a sample survey among the entire population to give authorities an idea about how Barbadians feel about taking the vaccine.

The BARP leader declared: “To be honest, look at how our seniors are dying, if the vaccine could give us the quality of life that we seek by all means, we will take the vaccine, but to date we have not been consulting on that, but we are hopeful that we will be invited at some point to have dialogue with the authorities and we would, of course, want to make a position for BARP on the issue of the vaccine.” (marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)