Prime Minister Mia Mottley gave the all-clear recently Barbados will be reopening for business on the 25 July 2020 with the proviso public health protocols must be adhered to by individuals and businesses. At the time of the announcement she confirmed to date there have been 96 confirmed cases, 83 total recoveries and seven deaths from Covid-19.
Locals woke up to the announcement a repatriation flight originating from New York and Florida with 120 Barbadians is due to land in Barbados today. Barbadians are aware Florida and New York are COVID 19 hotspots and have to trust the protocols established by public health authorities to protect. It is worth repeating locals have to also accept personal responsibility by following public health guidelines – frequent washing of hands, wear masks, practice physical distancing to name three.
Dr Kenneth Connell, a senior lecturer in clinical pharmacology in the Cave Hill Campus’ Department of Medicine, University of the West Indies also recently made an important announcement. He reminded Barbadians one of the main reasons the island achieved COVID free was due to our closed borders. His sobering observation serves as a reminder Barbadians must continue the intensity of our vigilance against COVID 19.
Here is a link to a press article covering Dr. Connel’s concerns:
A senior medical official has warned Barbadians that zero COVID-19 cases at this time does not mean the disease has gone anywhere and he is urging them to maintain the prevention practices.
Dr Kenneth Connell, a senior lecturer in clinical pharmacology in the Cave Hill Campus’ Department of Medicine, University of the West Indies, says one of the main reasons the island has achieved COVID-19 free status was due to the decision to close the borders.
“We are now moving into a phase where we are soon going to be opening the borders and there will be infections, of course, because the virus has not gone anywhere. The COVID-19 virus will enter Barbados again,” the medical practitioner advised during the CBC-TV 8 programme, The People’s Business.
“This is now the true test,” he said of the public health measures such as wearing of masks, maintaining social distancing and all of the other things that “people get bored of doing or tend to forget”.
“So while it is important that we celebrate our success rate, we also have to be very realistic. It is like saying to someone ‘I no longer drink alcohol and I am sober for all this time’, but you don’t have any access to alcohol, so there is no test to see whether you can resist the challenge,” he observed.
Barbados has gone 36 days with no positive COVID tests on the island. Of the 97 persons who contracted the illness since the first case in March, 90 have fully recovered and are out of the isolation treatment centres, while seven persons have died.
According to Dr. Connell: “When we open our borders again, and the virus is now in our community again, how we manage this will really be the true measure of our success because COVID-19 will return to Barbados. And if we continue to be comfortable and wear your masks halfway across your face or wear it intermittently, then the spread will continue again.
“If we continue to say, I don’t want to leave home and I am going to stay at home because COVID-19 is here, then our country will never continue its economic thrust. We will not get back to work and it will never be business as usual. We have to learn to live with COVID-19 in our midst. We also have to learn not to pretend that the reason we have zero cases in Barbados now isn’t by coincidence or because God is a Bajan. It is because our borders were closed.”
And as the country prepares to welcome scheduled international flights from the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and the Caribbean, Dr Connell said the protocols for the treatment of visitors from countries still battling the disease were paramount.
“Our borders are our first line of defence. . . . So if you bring people into the country you have to test them and test them credibly. For example, you have to validate the labs that they have been tested at and if they have not been tested, then you have to have some mechanism in place to test them on site.
“If they have not been tested then you do not know whether they are positive or not. You have to be able to track them and put them under quarantine because our population is at risk. All these are measures that reduce the risk but that is all they do – they reduce the risk. It doesn’t mean there will never be another case of COVID 19,” the UWI lecturer pointed out.
“What will eventually happen is that we will learn to live with COVID-19. I am sure even with the best defence system in any country, some amount of COVID is going to reach the general community. It is how we manage that equilibrium.”
Read our ePaper. Fast. Factual. Free.
I think we have to be realistic here and accept that with reopening a few new covid cases will also arrive. We can do our best with social distancing and mask wearing, but it would be folly for us to think we will not have some new cases. The question is what is the alternative?
We cant continue to keep our borders closed as the economy will simply crumble. Right now we have massive unemployment and many businesses just holding on by a financial thread. That said i think the authorities have done a good job handling the virus, however with the reopening new challenges will come. If what many of the epidemiologist say is true, we may have to live with covid 19 or its reincarnations for a period going forward, so we could as well except this and move on with life in what ever form we need to.
@ David BU
A timely reminder. I would wish that the other sections of the Fourth Estate would publish the entire excerpt as you did. His presentation was lucid and frank. I hope the populace takes his advice seriously.
@ John A
As usual you are on the ball. We either increase our risk of contracting COVID-19 or risk not being able to produce and import goods and services. We need to make the necessary adjustments. We are capable of doing both successfully.
@John A and Vincent
The minister of health stated as much. It is why the government has concentrated on capacity planning and storing PPE etc.
>
@ Vincent
I think we are capable of doing it as well based on how Bajans hace been handling themselves so far with mask wearing etc. I hace to also say the business places also have taken the warnings seriously with temperature testing and sanatising. Compared to those clown in the USA I would say we have done a dam good job. Imagine when a group of idiots in the USA going say they not wearing masks as it affects their rights! Well dont wear it then and exercise you right to dead! Lol
We now have to look at the economic fallout we have suffered and see how best we can whip this economy into a more diversified creature. I wonder how far sinkyuh got with his restructuring plans, or is he waiting for a new printer to arrive as that was his claim to fame. Seriously though when will we have an update from him and others tasked with repositioning our economy?
@ John A at 11:50 AM
Do you think anything useful would emanate from that committee? The heavy lifting has to be done by the technocrats in the Public and Private sectors. The technocrats must be confused by the lack of a clear vision and mission post COVID -19 . If i were the technocrats I would have drawn up the strategic plans and present it to them for approval.
The PM, MOH, MOH personnel including medical personnel, businesses and people of Barbados have done very well so far. I trust us to do well going forward. I don’t know if was the Cubans who improved the treatment but after the first cluster of rapid fire fatalities there were no more. I understand there is a cocktail of drugs that seems to be working.
Life AND DEATH must go on. We will try to minimise death but if we don’t work we will die of starvation anyway.
We must work smartly.
I have confidence that we will manage the new cases as well as anyone could.
But that does not mean I am not scared to catch it. More than one person who survived said it felt like death and apparently there is a chance of permanent scarring of the lung tissue.
@Vincent
I agree with you they have the data and are most experienced with cashflow periods etc. I would of never bothered with any committe just let the technocrats present their findings and recommendations to the MOF and her people. Its not like we dont know what must be done, any first year accountant could tell you if you dont bring expenses in line with income you will run a large deficit.
@ Donna
Do not forget the UWI Cave Hill Epidemiology Dept. They probably designed /modified the Contagion model on which the projections and containment strategy were based.
“Open for business”? What business? The economy is dead without tourists. We need new government advisors from Botswana to show us how to survive without foreign capital inflows. Our old advisors like Mr Greendidge are completely useless because they have only learned to run up debts.
By the way: Although I am a friend of open borders, we should not let planes from the USA or UK land. Only CARICOM, Africa, Canada, EU, Japan, Korea and China. Most of the Americans and British who come to us will be infected because they do not know any hygiene standards in their developing countries.
We should treat Americans and British like lepers: politely, but for self-protection with several thousand kilometres of safety distance.
@ Tron ye old Jester.
Dis is de very first time I Piece the Prophet have caught you wavering!
And it hurt de Prophet!
All dese months you been saying, and wisely so, dat Charles Me Love You Jong Time should be in quarantine
(I feel dat a year would do he good)
But jes so today you gone back pun dis Kung Flu wisdom and letting China and Jong back in de country
You hurt me Tron!
One of de few men pun de blog who does approximate truth in your posts (heheheheh) effing I using your measuring stick and including Kootchie Koo as a speaker of Truths
Retract um Tron ask de Honourable Blogmaster to remove de word China
Ask he to insert Jong in you list and I Piece the Prophet will put you back up where you belong
ON THE PEDESTAL FOR JESTERS ABSOLU
This strategy, though necessary, from an economic point of view, is going to end in tears (to quote Mr Hal Austin)
“NO ONE HAS DIED FROM THE CORONAVIRUS” SAYS LEADING PATHOLOGIST
https://australiannationalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/visur.jpg
• Australian National Review
• July 3, 2020
“No one has died from the coronavirus” says leading pathologist
Important revelations shared by Dr Stoian Alexov,
President of the Bulgarian Pathology Association
A high-profile European pathologist is reporting that he and his colleagues across Europe have not found any evidence of any deaths from the novel coronavirus on that continent.
Dr. Stoian Alexov called the World Health Organization (WHO) a “criminal medical organization” for creating worldwide fear and chaos without providing objectively verifiable proof of a pandemic.
Also, Dr. Alexov has an unimpugnable record and reputation. He’s been a physician for 30 years. He’s president of the BPA, a member of the ESP’s Advisory Board and head of the histopathology department at the Oncology Hospital in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.
Read More @ https://australiannationalreview.com/health/no-one-has-died-from-the-coronavirus-says-leading-pathologist/?fbclid=IwAR22WWhHabMDYeFvYkWbC4ezm0BZbTE4TdYkzbQY-gTxjuWXPYB624ho7N4
@ Piece the Prophet July 4, 2020 4:33 PM
Even though the Wuhan plague originated in China: we have to get used to the fact that China is number one. Trump’s economic sanctions will accelerate this development because the Chinese are now building their own computer chips.
The Americans are only number two in the world now. They simply cannot get the Wuhan plague under control because the American health system is much worse than in many developing countries. Life expectancy of Americans is falling. Some African countries are more developed today than many rotten cities and parts of the USA.
@ Tron ye olde Jester
China’s a chip builder is a frightening thing like the trojan horse that they launched wit Tik Tok has been for children of Secret Service Staff.
Imagine dat you is say de President and I cant get at you phone
But I infect Baron phone cause he got Tik Tok.
And den he send you some pictures
So you phone compromised
But tron why you frighten to say tainting bout Charles Me Love You Jong Time?
You get a cease and desist order too?
Here are latest graphs of C-19 progress in Barbados and comparison of Barbados’ active cases and those of 5 Caribbean neighbours. There were no new cases in Barbados. Guyana’s cases were continuing their upward trend – Source: Lyall Small
Here are latest graphs of C-19 progress in Barbados and comparison of Barbados’ active cases and those of 5 Caribbean neighbours. There were no new cases in Barbados. Guyana’s cases were continuing their upward trend – Source: Lyall Small
uh oh
https://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/246512/confirmed-virus
@ Hants July 5, 2020 1:41 PM
It´s OK as long as gov repatriates our people. Barbados is not Trixidad.
However, it is completely different question to let in native Americans and native Brits. Both countries have the policy to spread the virus as much as possible as some kind of biological warfare. I strongly recommend NOT to let in any commercial aircraft from USA and UK. Given the high infection rates in both shitholes, we will get thousands of new cases within a single month. We want tourists from places where people are clean, no people from developing nations without proper sanitation.
Let in people from developed nations, eg. CARICOM, some parts of Africa, EU, Korea, Japan etc., but NOT USA and UK.
Here is my flight plan for Barbados, which divides the world according to the degree of civilization:
First World (access to Barbados without testing): Corona-free countries such as New Zealand, CARICOM
Second World (access to Barbados with test): parts of Africa, India, Canada, EU, Japan, China, Korea, Australia
Third world (failed states without a functioning health system): UK, USA, Brazil, Russia, Sweden
One new Covid19 case arrived yesterday on the Jet Blue flight. An American woman who lives in Barbados. She has been put into isolation.
I am not surprised. I expect that virtually every flight from the U.S. and the U.K. will have at least one infected person on board.
The U.S. and the U.K really need to clean their acts up, before people begin to call them shit hole countries.
@ Cuhdear Bajan July 5, 2020 7:31 PM
We only had one case of the plague because Barbadians taught said passengers cleanliness and order. Imagine, 250 republicans from Texas ending up with us. These are biological bombs, at least 100 infected.
The least we have to do: Every American or British citizen arriving must memorize a poster. On the poster are basic things like brushing teeth, showering, washing hands, wearing masks.
Hand washing at least 6 to 12 times a day.
Showering at least twice a day.
Brushing teeth after every meal, and first thing in the morning and the last thing at night.
Wearing masks whenever you are in an enclosed space, and whenever you are in the presence of someone who does not live in your home.
The grands visited yesterday. I love them very much, but still I made them wash their hands as soon as they stepped in my door. No exceptions.
Not even for people who erroneously believe that they are exceptional.
You’re a model citizen. If all the people on Earth behaved like this, we’d have 75 per cent fewer corona cases. Unfortunately, many Americans are having so-called corona parties to deliberately infect themselves.
@ Tron ye olde Jester
You said
“…The least we have to do: Every American or British citizen arriving must memorize a poster.
On the poster are basic things like brushing teeth, showering, washing hands, wearing masks…”
You are a well travelled person!
That nuanced message about brushing teeth, showering and washing hands is missed by the party you were speaking to bless her soul!
She truly for 98% of the time here responds ALL ABOUT SIMPLE SIMON
OR A.ASS!
she has travelled rarely in her life and nowadays the furthest she goes is to work at **H and her garden!
She does not know dat dem people barely was dem teeth and bathe once every week or 2.
Dem is nasty!
And washing den hands is a rarity!
De ole man could get de grandson do a Poster bout dem nasty tourists for you but he say dat you gone soft pun Charles Me Love You Jong Time so he ent sending you nothing
Heheheheh (though I see that you left out China in you last list)
I feel dat you getting some work from*** so you teasing off pun ***
Doan ask me how I does know dese tings!
When are people in Caribbean going to wake up. Our small open economies are absolutely dead without tourism, that’s just the reality and the level of diversification that’s necessary to alter that fact isn’t going to occur overnight, if ever. Coronavirus is no more dangerous than a bad year of the seasonal flu. All the data available suggests as much. Why are we accepting and blindly following rubbish like wearing a mask and standing 6 feet apartband even worst lockdowns? Such measures have no foundation in science to be effective. Take a look at the data coming out of the USA and Eurooe., Over 75% of deaths from the “overhyped flu” are older persons over 65, most of whom have other illnesses.. the number of deaths of people under 18 are so miniscule it isn’t even worth mentioning, yet our schools are closed and the development of our children being hindered. Japan hasn’t locked down or forced any silly rules on their population and they only have 977 corona deaths out of a population of 126 million and guess what…. They only test sick people seeking medical attention not healthy people who are just fine, which is what is usually done when treating a virus. Is there a threat present, yes there is, and if you are old and sickly you need to take precautions as such folks will have a tougher time with this virus strain. Government should deploy resources to protect the elderly in nursing homes and care facilities they frequent. The rest of us need to continue as normal and keep the wheels of this economy spinning… I swear these health officials here are just following the same bogus script on CNN and there doesn’t seem to be any independent thought and policy set from analysis of real data. This fear based policy making will be the end of us all… We the people of the nation need to wake up, and ask more questions and stop believing every dribble that comes from someone in a suit on tv.
In short Cloverleaf
Kill all de old people
You obviously have read and misunderstood Numbers 31:17
“Now therefore kill every male among the little ones and kill every woman…”
Just add in the part about kill all people over 55 years cause all of we ole and ent got no value to people like you.
De ole man prays to my Father who is in Heaven that when this second wave comes that you will be its first victim!
And that you languish in its grasp for many days.
You are indeed faeces of the lowest beast deserving of nothing less.
@ Cloverleaf Thomas July 6, 2020 12:01 AM
“Why are we accepting and blindly following rubbish like wearing a mask and standing 6 feet apartband even worst lockdowns?”
Are you serious??? Why are there so few infections in most civilized countries and so many in the USA and UK? Even if you can’t figure it out: The great shift of power in the world between China and the USA has already taken place.
While Barbados is on the list of 59 countries exempt from England’s travel quarantine, it’s being widely reported in the UK that all visitors to Barbados must quarantine in a government facility for 14 days on arrival. With so many other places to choose from for a holiday, why would anyone choose Barbados, now or in the future, when, as is evident here, visitors are so clearly unwelcome? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/countries-with-quarantine-for-uk-arrivals/
@Tron
The number of cases is absolutely irrelevant. It will be naive to think 10s of millions of people are not going to catch it, hence if you know you are in that vulnerable group of being old, weak with other serious illnesses you have to be careful.
@Piece the Prophet,
Don’t be ridiculous Sir. Because you’re over 55 doesn’t mean you will automatically die or even have a rough time with it. The scary “new virus” clearly is not the bubonic plague. A bad flu strain has been estimated to kill up to 650,000 people in the past yet we never shutdown the world economy and unleashed economic turmoil in the world which will negatively effect times more lives than any virus ever could. However, older folks who are weak and have other serious conditions obviously need to be very careful, especially if over 80 years old. Hence why I emphasized protecting the vulnerable in nursing homes and other care facilities and enforce strict rules there. Any policies that are not centered around protecting the old and weak while the rest of us get on with running the economy is an absolute waste of time and should be dismissed. Only thing that need locking down around here is KFC and Chefette and encourage people to eat healthy, exercise to boost there immune systems. This entire global response makes no sense and will tank economies and kill or negatively effect more lives than the virus ever could.. stop believing every dribble in the media, or out of a politicians mouth. Ask more questions, analyze stuff for yourself.
Dr Rashid A Buttar WHY EVERYONE COULD TEST POSITIVE
@ MrsSandySnipe July 6, 2020 4:58 AM
If the British had not chosen this comedian as prime minister, but a decent person, UK would not have this Corona massacre. Most EU countries have weathered the crisis much better, especially successful countries like the Netherlands and Germany.
The British are welcome to re-enter once they have learned to wash regularly, keep their distance and wear masks.
@Cloverleaf ThomasJuly 6, 2020 9:09 AM “A bad flu strain has been estimated to kill up to 650,000 people.”
For the United States the CDC estimates that 24,000 – 62,000 deaths were caused by the flu during the period October 1, 2019, through April 4, 2020. NOT 650,000
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/preliminary-in-season-estimates.htm
Johns Hopkins University estimates that an additional 130,284 deaths have been caused by COVID19 between January and today. This is in addition to the 24,000 to 62,000 flu deaths.
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
@Cloverleaf Thomas July 6, 2020 9:09 AM “Government should deploy resources to protect the elderly in nursing homes and care facilities they frequent…rubbish like wearing a mask and standing 6 feet apart and even worst lock downs?”
Since you state that wearing masks, standing 6 feet apart, and lock downs are rubbish; and since the majority of the elderly do NOT live in care homes. Give us the specifics of how exactly “government can deploy resources to protect them?
@Piece July 5 “she has travelled rarely in her life and nowadays the furthest she goes is to work at **H and her garden!”
I’ve seen a place or two or 25 or more in my life.
I LOVE gardening. The fresh air, the sunshine, the exercise, the delicious fresh produce. What is ther in that not to love?
I don’t wuk na’where, haven’t worked in years and years and years. I will never again work for pay. Although I have long been involved in significant voluntary activities.
I doan trouble you. Why you doan lef me ‘lone?
Piece the ProphetJuly 6, 2020 1:15 AM “…kill all people over 55 years cause all of we ole and ent got no value to people like you.”
O you have value all right!
People like clover leaf may be hoping to get their inheritance much, much quicker. No point having all those old people sticking around spending all of their own hard earned life savings, when the old people can die quick, quick so and let the clover leafs come into some sweet, sweet money. Maybe so much and so sweet that they will discover that they really cared nothing about work/economic activity.
Why should they work when they can inherit free money?
@Freedom CrierJuly 6, 2020 11:58 AM “Dr Rashid A Buttar”
Rashid Ali Buttar (born January 20, 1966) is an American osteopathic physician, conspiracy theorist, and anti-vaccine proponent from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is known for his controversial use of chelation therapy for numerous conditions, including autism and cancer. He has twice been reprimanded by the North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners for unprofessional conduct and cited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for illegal marketing of unapproved and adulterated drugs
@ MrsSandySnipeJuly 6, 2020 4:58 AM,
Visitors are welcome to Barbados provided they undergo a two week period of quarantine.
The shambolic UK government appears to value her economy over the lives of her citizens. Barbadians are highly unlikely to visit – Covid-19 infected – England and jeopardise their lives.
If a man pays a prostitute for sex. He should use a condom. Therefore, If a tourist were to visit Barbados they should be prepared to undergo the full quarantine period. Am I making myself clear?
It’s all about depopulation folks. Their stupid plan won’t work though, light wins against dark, heroes beat villains, good outweigh bad.
https://www.facebook.com/tyler.kruschenske/videos/10157306217247592/
@Freedom CrierJuly 7, 2020 10:03 AM “It’s all about depopulation folks.”
The depopulation thing makes no sense.
If a person/organization/country wanted to depopulate it would make much more sense to kill off the young population of child bearing age. I mean, why go to the trouble of creating a virus which kills mostly old, old people, and already sick, sick people who were going to die fairly soon anyway? Makes no sense.
But nothing Freedom Crier writes makes sense.
The right wing loonies keep coming out of the woodwork.
They could really crawl back in cause nobody is paying them any mind.
@Cuhdear Bajan
Up to 650 000 deaths annually are associated with respiratory diseases from seasonal influenza, according to new estimates by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), the World Health Organization and global health partners.
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/14-12-2017-up-to-650-000-people-die-of-respiratory-diseases-linked-to-seasonal-flu-each-year
As I’ve said, a bad flu season, not a specific year… The count of related deaths will fluctuate year after year depending on the severity of the strain.
Not sure what nonsense you on about concerning inheritance, maybe you just felt like typing folly.
In terms of protecting the nursing homes, staff and the old people there will need to be isolated for at least a few months… This sacrifice should be well compensated for the workers of these establishments, can even go as far as to have them living separately in a hotel and all there needs met. Executing Such a plan will cost significant amounts of money, but it is entirely possible and will be way cheaper than the cost of shutting down the country whilst reducing covid related deaths as all evidence points to old weak persons accounting for the majority of deaths. They are better ways to deal with this than to create economic turmoil by shutting down the world economy and forcing healthy people to stay home and wear masks ( aka, teaching people to be afraid of one another).
America and Britain’s poor responses to Covid-19 can be traced partly to post-cold war self-congratulation — the belief that neither had much to learn from the rest of the world. In a few short months a microbe has exposed the underside to Anglo-American hubris. It could take far longer to undo the pandemic’s damage to their brands. ….(Quote)
oops!
“Five in quarantine positive for COVID after second test”
https://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/246630/quarantine-positive-covid-test
https://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/246692/positive-covid-19-test-repatriation-flight-pushes-total-104
” It was on the third examination that the woman tested positive for the coronavirus.”
So what about all those who were tested twice only ?
Will Barbados have to reconsider the decision to open up to air travel ?
@Hants
All the positive tests suggests is that there are risks to the Gov’t’s current regulations for visitors, they may arrive with the COVID19 negative test in the last 72 hours in hand, but that doesn’t preclude them from being infected as the virus may not show up for several days. In another scenario a passenger arrives without a test and is subsequently found to be COVID 19 positive through the testing facility at the airport. Are the authorities going to track down the passengers who were seated in close proximity to this individual and subject them to further tests and quarantine even when they arrived with their clearance certificates?
It’s a slippery slope
It is about balancing the risk of sickness from COVID and sickness from poverty.
I’m not saying I agree with their choice but maybe that’s because my belly is full.
Once Barbadians keep their guard up
we should be fine. We have shown what wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands etc. can do.
Until we can diversify our economy, we have to find a way to make tourism work enough to stop us from sinking.