Private sector head wants mask mandate to be adaptable

Chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association, Trisha Tannis, is calling for an end to this country’s “one-size-fits-all” mask mandate.

Tannis said with less deadly strains of COVID-19, relatively high vaccination rates and the threat of imported virus spread at a minimum, authorities ought to reconsider the extent to which they impose their will on people’s activities.

Tannis said a raft of continued restrictions, though not as severe as the lockdowns of the past, are affecting the country’s economic progress. And she called on medical professionals and policy-makers to develop a framework that better balances the preservation of lives and livelihoods.

“These are the things that we need clarified even as we implement the laws and legislation to fine persons. Ultimately, there is a shelf life on how long persons are going to be able to do this, Tannis told Barbados TODAY.

“We have extended our state of emergency until September. Come September, what is going to happen? Are we going to extend it again?

“I think the scientists need to speak very loudly now. I think the medical professionals need to speak very loudly now. What are the trends? What are the risks that we can take whilst not exposing persons who are generally vulnerable to something that can be fatal?

“I think we need to be a bit more microscopic with how we manage and the blunt instruments of public health management that affect 100 per cent of our lives, whilst we still have a fatality rate of less than one per cent. I think those are the things that we need to have harder conversations on,” she added.

Barbados last month introduced a new ticketing system of $100 for persons who violate its mask mandate. Such persons face penalties of up to $50 000 and/or one year in prison if convicted under an extended COVID-19 emergency directive.

Earlier this week, the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) admitted that the country’s pandemic protocols continue to deter some travellers, as competing destinations remove similar COVID-19 requirements. In addition to the mask mandate, all arriving visitors must be tested on arrival, and those who are unvaccinated are still required to undergo a quarantine period.

The business leader maintained that while many of the current protocols are appropriate in office buildings and events in enclosed spaces, government ought to be mindful of imposing rules that may be seen as “offensive” rather than “defensive”.

“We can’t have a one-size-fits-all, homogenous approach to everything that we do,” said Tannis.

“We need to have a more strategic and tactful approach to how we manage it and how people can get back to their daily lives and still be community-minded. These are the kinds of conversations that we need to have where certain protocols may be appropriate for certain limited functions, where there is poor ventilation, where you can’t social distance. Of course, those are environments that are ripe for mask-wearing.

“We have scenarios locally where we are asking young kids to run in masks. That is absolutely unacceptable. We had situations where we were asking kids to wear masks while sitting an exam. These are things that have a more negative impact on persons’ health than even the virus itself for these age groups.

“If you have someone who cannot legitimately breathe through a mask and you see them on the road, are you going to impose fines because they can’t breathe?” she asked. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb