Local businesses back COVID measures, will step up monitoring of protocols

Businesses across the island are promising stricter monitoring of COVID-19 protocols in an attempt to stave off a lockdown of the country in the midst of increased numbers in cases of the potentially deadly virus.

During a Barbados TODAY interview, president of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Anthony Branker dismissed the contemplation of a return to the types of ‘lockdowns’, ‘shutdowns’ and ‘pauses’ imposed earlier this year, maintaining that any deviation from the protocols by businesses is in the minority.

In fact, on Monday, he placed the BCCI’s full support behind measures taken by the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit and other arms of the Ministry of Health to hold individuals and organisations accountable for their actions.

“Don’t say that,” Branker replied when asked about the potential impact of more stringent measures like a lockdown.

“I would hope that we don’t get to the position of a lockdown again. Barbadians are intelligent, educated people and therefore, I think that as we would have reduced the curfews and so forth and opened back certain businesses and we opened our borders and seen the effects of it, that we would recognise that each person has to be responsible for his own wellbeing,” he explained.

Minister of Health and Wellness Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic on Sunday announced the re-imposition of an 11 p.m to 5 a.m. curfew over the next two weeks after the country recorded 40 new cases in one day and nearly 200 persons were placed in quarantine.

In response to outbreaks of COVID-19 at a church and a ‘large’ St Michael business, Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George urged local establishments to immediately re-evaluate their protocols. He revealed that over the last few days, the church and business had recorded 33 and 21 cases respectively and over 70 people from the business were in quarantine.

As part of the new measures, Branker noted that members of the chamber would be asked to appoint ‘COVID-19 monitors’ at each branch to oversee the behaviour of staff while on the job.

The business leader contended that while persons are often inclined to blame the private sector, tourism industry or the religious community, each individual ought to accept his/her own stake in keeping the situation under control.

“The business community is generally a very responsible one and the chamber and its members fully support the work of the COVID-19 unit and the Ministry of Health in fighting this virus,” declared Branker.

“Therefore, I don’t think you could point to a majority of businesses that have not been compliant, because businesses have been going all out to be compliant where the monitoring unit has made recommendations. I believe that we will continue to be responsible and continue to make whatever necessary recommendations are made by the unit. The chamber supports their efforts fully.

“But businesses are run by individuals. The members of churches are individuals, the tourists who come are individuals, and therefore, we have to make sure that each person is educated as to what they are expected to do, because we cannot point a finger to say that it is because of a church or because of a business,” he contended.

Branker added that recent decisions to accommodate more employees in the workplace were consistent with advice from public health officials and consistent with similar advice on Sunday, they would scale back.

Touting the success of such initiatives over the course of the pandemic, the BCCI president stressed that in addition to containing the virus, work-from-home arrangements often improve the economic efficiency of businesses.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)