Local NewsNews COVID-19 watchdog chief declares ‘stop’ success by Emmanuel Joseph 22/02/2021 written by Emmanuel Joseph 22/02/2021 5 min read A+A- Reset Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinWhatsappEmail 101 Government’s COVID-19 Monitoring Unit is marking the first stay-at-home weekend a success applauding the way the Friday night to Monday curfew restrictions worked in keeping residents off the road. Head of the Unit Ronald Chapman is happy that no one was prosecuted during the tightened curfew of 7 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday, but he is nonetheless upset that too many people are generally still disregarding the COVID-19 public health directives. His comment came even as court appearances by alleged law breakers continue to increase. “The weekend went really well. We really didn’t have any violations to talk about from the COVID Unit. The weekend was a good one…a very good one,” Chapman told Barbados TODAY. However, he has again put residents who fail to comply with the protocols on notice that they will be brought before the law courts. “We still have a number of cases before the law courts. We had 18 today…those 18 were heard. A couple was remanded for sentencing and the others pleaded not guilty and they were given dates to come back to court. So we are just moving along quietly and hopefully Barbadians will comply and we can get back to normal,” he said. You Might Be Interested In Crystal Beckles-Holder, 2nd runner up in regional competition GUYANA: Body of child found after gold mine collapses Barbadians asked to help with return tickets for Haitians Chapman disclosed that more than 15 additional cases are to be brought before the court this week bringing the estimate so far to almost 50. “Some of them are individuals, some of them…the shop owners would have been charged, some of them were limes…there was a variety,” he said. The COVID-19 Unit Monitoring head said while enforcement of the current law may be sufficient to deal with those who insist on flouting it, other options are available to assist in bringing offenders in line. “I think we must continue doing what we are doing…appeal to sensible-minded Barbadians to follow the guidelines, follow the rules so we can get out of this. I am not sure if I can say much more than that. There are other strategies that probably can be put in place, but at the end of the day, the law is the law and we would want people’s compliance,” he declared. “As I said, over the weekend was good, but prior to the weekend we had a lot of people flouting the law. We have been having people doing things that they ought not to do for a while now. It is just that the last couple of weeks we recognize that we really need to comply because what Barbados is going through right now is really bad,” he contended. Asked if he thinks people are either not getting the message or not taking it, Chapman replied: “We have a lot of people in Barbados who are taking this thing seriously. Let me start there. There are a lot of people who are doing what’s necessary and so on. There is that small fringe that can be very loud that are not doing the right things. “Then there are those who talk about doing the wrong things but they do the right things; but their influence is such that people who do not know any better think that they are doing what is wrong and follow them. You would see sometimes in chats, somebody would say something that would mislead someone into thinking that they are a part of the resistance or whatever it is. But those people are actually complying. You can see that where the vaccine is concerned. In my experience, a lot of people who have spoken against the vaccine have come and asked me where they could go and get it. It is an amazing thing,” the unit head pointed out. Chapman also identified another group, which he suggests may be watching too much television. “They see a scenario existing, they see a problem. Then they see people suffering and then the solution and then the picture finishes…and they expect perfection in real life. It is a strange dynamic. This is COVID and there is not one country on the face of the earth that has gotten it 100 per cent right. We have done better than most.” He observed that this country has had nine clear months of no local transmission. “And then we had some Barbadians who decided that, for whatever reason…things happened. And now, you know, it is like, it was always this way,” he stated. Chapman blamed part of the spread of the virus on individuals who enter business places. “It is an individual issue…you catch COVID from an individual and even if you are in a business place, I have not come across a business place which promotes non-compliance. If the workers decide they are going to wear masks and they are doing physical distance and so on, then everything goes well,” he added. However, Chapman said he knows of some business people who did not help with compliance in the first place such as installing sanitiser stations and things of that nature. Annoyed by large volumes of traffic on the roads and blatant disregard by Barbadians, especially young people, in following the directives to stay at home, Minister of Health and Wellness Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic confirmed that cabinet had approved the weekend curfew. He said police had been directed to apprehend those caught on the road who were not essential workers, were not part of Operation Seek and Save or taking part in the Vaccination Programme and those that did not possess the necessary emergency pass. The minister revealed that while young people believed they were immune to COVID-19 they were currently 40 minors in the island’s isolation facilities. He suggested that young people were “playing Russian Roulette with their lives and other residents”. (emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb) Emmanuel Joseph You may also like Update: Person of interest identified and charged 18/02/2025 Man remanded on firearm and ammunition charges 18/02/2025 Man charged with handling stolen property granted bail 18/02/2025