As the highly infectious COVID-19 Delta variant continues to attack young children in Barbados, the state-owned child protection agency is reviewing the operations of local day care facilities.
Deputy Director of the Child Care Board (CCB) Julia Davis said on Friday it can’t be business as usual at these centres in the current COVID environment.
In fact, Davis said the entire operations of the board are under review to ensure the island’s children in care are protected.
“Basically, we are reviewing all matter and all protocols as it relates to our operations and how we do business in our day cares and in every aspect of the board,” the CCB Deputy Director told Barbados TODAY.
Davis stated: “As things happen we would adjust…you know it is very fluid, you can’t say what will happen tomorrow. We will ensure that we put all protocols and measures in place to protect our children and our staff.
“We are putting measures in place as we speak. Every situation has to be dealt with differently and handled delicately. And of course you can appreciate that no situation is always the same as they arise. So we continue to work towards improving that service and making sure that we protect our children and staff,” the child care official said.
Davis pointed out that the mandate of the board is to be proactive in looking after the welfare of children and it has no intention, especially in this COVID pandemic, to be reactionary.
“So we continue to do what we know is in the best interest of the children as well,” she added.
During the past week, no fewer than three day nurseries were “closed until further notice” by the board “in the best interest of the nation’s children.”
Late last month the child protection agency closed the Nightingale Day Nursery at Black Rock, St Michael and the Marion Hall Day Nursery in Silver Hill, Christ Church, while this week, the Haynesville Day Nursery in St James was shut down.
Last week, Minister of Health and Wellness Lt. Col Jeffrey Bostic told a press briefing that between August 18 and August 26 an alarming game-changer emerged with 29 children below age 12 contracting the COVID-19 disease.
Bostic said those children were part of the 167 positive cases which resulted from 6,934 tests conducted on Barbadian residents during that period.
Also appearing at the briefing, nursing officer at the Harrison Point Isolation Centre, Glendora Seale, revealed that more and more young people are coming in with the virus.
(emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb)
