#BTColumn – Why are we waiting?

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

by Angus Jones

Grenada’s Minister of Health recently made a statement which may have not been widely circulated, but which I felt was important to share with your readers, as that country has now given a very clear indication of when it hopes to follow the lead of many nations in Europe and remove all COVID restrictions.

During a press conference earlier this week, Minister of Health Nickolas Steele declared that based on the current trends Grenada could be looking at removing most, if not all of its COVID restrictions, including those on travel, by April.

This just days after Grenada announced plans to allow travellers to use antigen tests to enter the country (24 hours) and lifted many restrictions on gatherings for vaccinated persons.

That sends a very powerful message not only to its citizens, but to the business community and very importantly, to the travelling public, as well as stakeholders such as airlines, travel agents and hotels.

Look, it is no secret that the hospitality sector and travel in Grenada have probably suffered more than many other islands because of inconsistencies with its travel protocols, and the impact of that has clearly not been lost on the government.

Therefore when Grenada, which has held a tight rein for so long, now decides it’s time to get on with it, as we have seen done in the UK, France and a number of other European countries, then I urge all other Caribbean leaders and CMOs to wake up and smell the coffee.

What Grenada has done is provide what many other Caribbean countries are failing to do – and that is clarity and fixed deadlines, and I daresay they have learnt their lesson the hard way.

Clarity and ease of mind are critical to any traveller who plan their vacation and spend their money; it’s possibly the most important thing.

So after two years of constantly bring drilled with COVID information and misinformation, I think by now most people in the world are pretty much en current with the trend of this virus, and with what the science is now suggesting, and while no one can predict the future, the science is saying that we can begin taking steps to live with COVID – we have no choice.

This a brave but I think necessary step by the officials in Grenada, and I certainly look forward to the day I can visit one of my favorite islands once more without the hassle of authorisations, tests and all the baggage that comes with pandemic travel.

The Grenada Health Minister also made another comment which may have passed by casually and missed by many, but which carries a much deeper meaning.

Defending why he felt people still needed to wear masks for the time being, Minister Steele noted that, “while Omicron is still around us, we will always be seeing cases of COVID-19 in Grenada (for) two reasons; one, this virus is ENDEMIC, but more specifically because of our low rate of vaccination.”

Whether consciously or not, the Minister has started referring to COVID as ‘endemic’ rather than ‘pandemic’, which in essence means that they feel it can be managed among a community of people rather than worrying that it will spread uncontrollably like before.

This is in line with a campaign spearheaded by Spain which is calling on world governments to start tackling COVID-19 now like any other endemic respiratory virus like the seasonal flu.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said recently that his government is working with the scientific community to shift from “managing a pandemic to managing a disease which we hope science (will now) reclassify as an endemic illness.”

Similarly the UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that citizens “must learn to live with COVID” in a similar way to the seasonal flu. It’s heartening then to see at least one Caribbean country is actually keeping up with the science rather than just saying it does.

We have endured enough pain not only in terms of our health, but economically, mentally and socially  . . . it is time to reclaim our lives and planet from this socially abhorrent invader.