The COVID 19 pandemic continues to be a challenge for many countries across the globe including Barbados. To shutdown or not is the question being asked by Barbadians. This evening’s briefing by the government will provide the answer.
Latest numbers presented by BU’s Lyall Small posted to COVID 19 Update page
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@John,
As Tony says, take that graph and pitch it through the window.
@John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, even if China are manipulating the numbers it would take the mother of all cover ups to hide 1 million cases furthermore the 25 million cases and the 400,000 deaths that the USA has right now. The point is that China has better control of the virus than countries that have less than 1/4 of its population. The Chinese gov’t could not even hide the initial cover up of the existence of COVID-19 even though they are the biggest news censor on the planet.
@Willian the finer details of the lockdown will be revealed before just the 3rd of Feb but I hope they reverse the decision on closing the small shops because
1) a shop is basically a mini supermarket. A supermarket is a big shop. To “discriminate” based on size makes little sense when both offer (more or less) the same service to the public
2) closing small shops means more people assembling in the big supermarkets, inferring that more people would having to take public transportation to get to those said supermarkets…the totally opposite effect desired in this situation.
BAJEJanuary 26, 2021 10:15 PM
A CITY OF SEVERAL MILLION RESIDENTS/VISITORS WITH SUPERMARKETS, MINI-MARTS ETC OPEN MOST FROM 8AM TO 9PM/10PM SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
NO CURFEWS.
Ok, ranting aside, how many hospitalisations and deaths per day in your city?
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YOU CALLED TELLING THE TRUTH RANTING YOU TWIT.
I SEE PEOPLE CARRYING ON THEIR LIVES AS NORMAL DAILY EXCEPT FOR WEARING MASKS ETC..
OF COURSE THERE ARE INFECTIONS AND DEATHS LIKE ANYWHERE ELSE.
HOWEVER ONE IS FREE TO LIVE THEIRS AS PER USUAL TAKING NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS.
NOT THE BULLSHIT MELODRAMA ON THE 2 x 3 ISLAND CLOSING OR LIMITING PEOPLE FROM SHOPPING IN SUPERMARKETS OR ANY OTHER TYPES OF BUSINESSES.
I AM MORE HAPPIER WHERE I HAVE MY FREEDOMS LIKE SEVERAL OTHER MILLION RESIDENTS THAN YOU IDIOTS ON THE 2 x 3 THAT CAN’T SEE PASS THEIR NOSES WHILST THE WHITE MEN ENJOYING THEIR WEALTH AND YOUR BLACK PEOPLE SUFFERING AMONG THEMSELVES..
WELCOME TO SMALL ISLAND MENTALITY.
BAJEJanuary 27, 2021 2:28 AM Answer the question instead of screaming insults. The only one looking like a twit is you, with your rants.
How many hospitalisations and deaths daily and weekly daily average in your city?
Answer the question.
Baje, if you refuse to answer the question, I will have to assume that you are writing from a psychiatric ward, given your constant screaming, but refusal to conduct a rational interchange. Quite a fair conclusion.
BAJEJanuary 27, 2021 2:28 AM Answer the question instead of screaming insults. The only one looking like a twit is you, with your rants.
How many hospitalisations and deaths daily and weekly daily average in your city?
Answer the question.
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Baje, if you refuse to answer the question, I will have to assume that you are writing from a psychiatric ward, given your constant screaming, but refusal to conduct a rational interchange. Quite a fair conclusion.
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DOES IT MATTER HOW MANY DEATHS AND HOSPITALIZATIONS WHILST YOUR GOVERNMENT IS LETTING IN THE VIRUS DAILY FROM THE OUTSIDE.
WE LIVE FREELY WITHOUT HINDRANCES TO OUR DAILY LIVES NOT SOME DICTATORSHIP WHO IS PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH BAJAN BLACK LOCALS TO THE BENEFIT OF THE WHITE SHADOWS.
I RATHER RANT AS YOU CALL IT BY SPEAKING TRUTH THAN DEFEND ANY POLITICAL PARTY ON THE 2 x 3 ISLAND WHICH YOU AND SEVERAL OTHERS ON BU DO ALMOST DAILY.
MAYBE WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT THE REAL PROBLEMS LIKE THE NEEDS OF FELLOW BAJAN BLACKS OVER THE NEEDS OF THE CHARLES HERBERTS, MARK MALONEY, AVINASH PERSAUD AND THE MANY WHITES CONTROLLING THE WEALTH ON THE ISLAND.
THEN YOU AND I WILL FINALLY COME TO AN AGREEMENT.
FAILING THAT I WILL CONTINUE TO RANT AND TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT YOUR BLP PARTY AND BLP GOVERNMENT@ Crusoe
Answer the question.
@Crusoe
Baje is a liar. All will be revealed in the fullness of time.
A good news story.
Nurses praised for showing up to COVID fight – Nurses praised for showing up to COVID fight: https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/01/26/nurses-praised-for-showing-up-to-covid-fight/
DavidJanuary 27, 2021 3:22 AM @Crusoe Baje is a liar. All will be revealed in the fullness of time.
Cryptic. Noted and thanks.
It’s 2031, less time for those spouting off without facts. But look how Baje is now in a city of millions with residents AND VISITORS. Note I said AND VISITORS. Who surprise David says he is a liar? Wunna stay safe.
David
The RH corporate oligarchs in Barbados, with the help of Mugabe, are using this Covid crisis to implement the socalled Great Reset.
While most Bajans are seeking to save their lives, corporate interests whether in the hotel industry or the mercantile class see the Great Reset as a disaster capitalist opportunity to further monopoly, oligopoly in Barbados, like is happening everywhere else.
We warn Mugabe that this crisis and her handling are likely to impose a fate worse than death on a wide range of people and their businesses barely holding on before Covid19.
The big Hotel Industry are the ones calling the shots
The people voices would not be heard
All the lockdowns would affect the majority mostly black people who are in the struggle of their lives economically
Notice in the PM speech not one word was mention about the Hotel industry undergoing drastic measures of change in helping to fight the deadly virus
Yet Mia tells the country “We are in this together”
Who are the we was revealed in her draconian speech which levelled threats and lockdowns at the mostly black masses
William Skinner
Fruendel Stuart and his political father Erskine Sandiford were the biggest political cowards ever known to man.
So stop lionizing these idiots.
One can always count on David and the blp yard birds when caught in a corner like a trap rat to call opposing opinions lies
Wunna never fail
The number of active cases dropped from 700+ to 360. Dodds back to some semblance of normalcy it seems.
Easy Squeeze Make No Riot
Part of Government’s role is to give the impression that they are on top of things even when they are not and to control the population so there is no uprising. Politics is about smearing shit on the other side with propaganda as John will testify.
@Pacha
It is the ordinary people calling for the reset. It is a zero sum scenario, someone will have to pay the price little do they know. Do not forget where government revenues come from, it is the model we have embraced. It is what it iOS.
@ Pacha
When did speaking the truth about anybody become “ lionizing “ ?
Erskine Sandiford once told the Chamber of Commerce , that he was “ not elected in any board room”.
Freudel Stuart told Peter Boos if he wants to run the country , he should try “ contesting a seat “.
I said that these are the only two PMs that I recall ever speaking to the new Massa in that manner.
You should know better than accusing me of lionizing anybody.
I guess that the next time I say that you are erudite and a fine writer , somebody would say that I lionize you.
Gimme a break Pacha.
David
Well if saving lives is as important as Mugabe says then how can the lifeblood of the most vulnerable be so located within zero sum game scenarios?
Where is the counter narrative to corporate intent?
@Pacha
Good question, one of the biggest warts of our local system. Until the economic class is infiltrated by a nucleus of like minded egalitarian souls, it is what it is, ordinary people in Barbados have not reached a level of awareness to tactically challenge the establishment in the opinion of this blogmaster. You have read the story in recent days how the world’s richest have earned trillions off the back of the pandemic? Altruism is the order of the day.
Skinner
We both know that those words were merely for external political consumption.
Internally, both these men lacking in courage gave de rassoooooooul white people everything they wanted. And they were happy to be able to so do.
Disgusting lies & Propaganda TV
1. Closing down small shops which as you say are now minimarts will force citizens to shop at the bigger supermarkets. These are the players in the Social Partnership who oppose lock down.
2. Closing down vendors will cut out the middle man and small farmers and that business will obviously be directed toward the bigger players.
At 1 and 2 the bigger players are now being given all the pie.
We can’t claim to be all in this together if policy appears to be discriminatory.
It clearly shows that the administration is in a very difficult situation and we must support its efforts. After all it did not create the virus. But Socio economic policy must support or be designed to ensure that all players are treated equally.
David
Kindly permit us to know better.
Barbados has deliberately avoided all and any opportunity to make the country more egalitarian.
We suggest the former Mutual as a prime example. They are many more.
None of what you see now did not happen by chance. It was no less deliberate than what Mugabe is doing currently.
“The number of active cases dropped from 700+ to 360. Dodds back to some semblance of normalcy it seems.”
You need to drop in ya billion dollar projects manager skills and help DIVERSIFY THE ECONOMY…and not with more tourism delusional shit, pimping and whoremongering either. Make sure the BLACK POPULATION create as they’re gifted to do and STAY ON TOP to benefit THEM, THEIR CHILDREN AND FUTURE GENERATION….no more social parasites, no one elects them…they’re disgraceful…let them stay in their lanes…until such time that there may OR MAY NOT be a revival of tourism.
Pacha..i lost it recently, the world’s savages are brazen.
“While most Bajans are seeking to save their lives, corporate interests whether in the hotel industry or the mercantile class see the Great Reset as a disaster capitalist opportunity to further monopoly, oligopoly in Barbados, like is happening everywhere else.”
It’s up to the masses to sit there and don’t capsize these evil, greedy wannabe slavemasters MFs and make sure they never recover…slavery is an international crime….we’ve spent years on BU warning and warning, got called mad, this, that and the other. We can only do so much. It’s wicked what smallminded, small power Caribbean governments do to African people…but Covid isn’t going anywhere anytime soon and neither is social media, if anything, it’s getting even more powerful and venturing into new frontiers that many have already lost track and cannot even fathom, but they will see. Small island power means just that.
@Pacha
What is happening in Barbados channels what is the state of affairs elsewhere, the economic elite rules whether covertly or otherwise. It continues to be a constant battle given the fragmented and dare we say it lack of awareness by Black people here, there and everywhere. We see no wisdom in committing to a regional machinery to bundle our interest on the global stage, we are unable to manage effectively regional entities for the same reason. There is no non aligned movement to run interference- we can go on. For example, why should developing states have to fight to secure orders for vaccines from Big Pharma? Should MDCs not know it makes sense for the global population to be protected ensuring herd immunity and protecting the very man made construct called globalization? It makes no sense.
@ Crusoe January 27, 2021 2:00 AM
“Good grief. It is two weeks people. That is exactly what Hal recommended and I agreed.
Tomas shut the island for the same sort of period. People have earthquakes and have to survive for months waiting for relief.
Two weeks is going to destroy people? The government said that care packages will be delivered to the vulnerable.
It is best to do two weeks, then implement strict protocols thenceforth, than have this thing knocking around and blowing up.”
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A major concern to the “public health authorities” should be the enforcement of the stricter protocols among the ‘many’ dozens of vagrants ‘cruising’ without PPE around the many places frequented by shoppers and other’ vulnerable’ pedestrians.
In the interest of public health and to protect the vagrants from themselves would they be put in special quarantine during the pending lockdown or would they be allowed to roam freely, ‘unmasked’ and all?
It would be interesting to find out how many of those Covid-19-exposed ‘roamers’ have been either tested or have contracted the virus.
Maybe their immune systems are equipped with battle-ready armour and germ fighting equipment to fight off such unseen foes like Covid and dengue.
Some people are intuitively ahead of the curve
Dancing is good for you
“Fruendel Stuart and his political father Erskine Sandiford were the biggest political cowards ever known to man.”
WIlliam…their egos may have made them defensive, but were they real mean with real power they would’ve MUTED and CRIPPLED these repulsive minorities DECADES AGO….but every black face minister etc that entered the parliamnet since the 1950s was/is a colonial trained coward. They can only implement rules and laws for African people and no one else.
@Miller
Bostic keeps using the language of war. We have to be smart waging a war again the COVID-19 enemy. We have to protect ALL our people. Unfortunately in a war there will be casualties even after we have done our best to defend the citadel of Barbados.
Barbados never wanted to become autonomous, they prefer remain in their lost identity, lost history, dependent state….professionals, real ones, can create their own paradise of papers on this mental mess starting with a psychological analysis of the shallow leaders….it will be a hell of a book..once tons of research is done.
It’s noted that various governments on the Continent are extending a hand in welcome for descendants of the enslaved IN THE WEST…TONS OF OPPORTUNITEIS, MEANING FOR BLACK PEOPLE…..WHO HAVE THEIR BIRTHRIGHT IN AFRICA….and yet all ya hear coming from the parliament is more tourism, more subjugation, racism, violations of human rights, thefts of severance etc…elevating shite minorities over the Black majority..no future and no LOOKING TOWARD AFRICA..but they are heavily talking about the man wearing a dress in Italy.
““Good grief. It is two weeks people.”
Not necessarily 2 weeks becomes 4 weeks which becomes 2 months or 3 months as a rolling lockdown when people dying is multiplying so don’t hold your breath waiting
TEARS OF AFRICA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-BPyArLrw4
David
What would you expect except the mimicking of the language from Washington by armchair hawks and colonels who never saw real war up close and personal.
David 07 40
No, there will be no room to throw this issue into the tall grass, that because it represents international patterns of wealth distribution Barbados is just following suite.
Again permit us to know better. For in the case of Barbados we’ve had opportunities unique to us and fecklessly surrendered them to the corporatists which now are firmly in control.
The real problem with communicating the CoVid crisis to the country is the president. She believes she must be front and centre of everything going on, regardless, no original idea, no lessons learnt, no doubting her own supremacy.
The prime minister blew a great opportunity to relaunch the fight against CoVid and bring the nation with her. As I have said before, she should have relaunched with the governor general alone speaking at the briefing/ address to the nation, with the leading civic and professional leaders standing behind her, including the prime minister.
With the governor general at the podium, and behind her stood the commissioner of police, head of BDF, leaders of the PdP, DLP and BLP, the bishop, and heads of the Muslims, Jews and other leading religious groups, the message would have been clear, without a word being said, that this is not a party political matter. This is about national security. She blew it.
Then the message should have been one of clarity, brevity and precision. Say what was needed to be said and nothing more, no nonsense about dengue, or when she chaired a meeting for the WHO or UN, or whoever.
The president also messed up her own message with nonsense about if you want to call this a lockdown or whatever do; no, she should have called it by name and stick to it, cut out the wordplay.
I did not time the speech because I could not find my stop watch, but it was long, boring and monotonous and drifted all over the place. That alone is bad if you want to get over an important message.
The message should have been carried on every radio station and the local television station live and the entire nation would come to a stand-still. With such a format, the message would have been clear, this is serious.
The content of the message was another issue. It gave the appearance of a decision made five minutes before the presentation and written on the back of a postage stamp.
There was no indication that there was any consideration of the unintended consequences of the new policies, or even the objective of the proposals, which I will deal with separately, but I will take three briefly.
First, the unexplained lockdown on over-70s, why? Second the attack on small grocery stores and rum shops, why? and the attack on members of the public who have to use public transport.
Is the lockdown on over-70s based on medical reasons, if so where is the evidence? With nine dead that could hardly be considered sound empirical evidence.
Second, by closing small shops we are simply once more transferring wealth from the very poor to the wealthy and well-connected; most small shop owners depend on that single business for their livelihood. People must eat.
If the reason, or the excuse, was the lack of adherence to the protocols, then that could be dealt with separately, but as it is, they have chosen the nuclear option – a hammer to crack a nut.
Third, how do poor people who have to depend on public transport to shop and get to government offices get about. One Barbadian-born, UK citizen, who spends every year in Barbados, was full of anxiety after the announcement. What should she do?
In her long, boring, diatribe, the one word the president should have said that she did not was ‘sorry’ to the Barbadian people; sorry for not providing the quality leadership that the nation needs at this time; sorry for allowing her ego and global ambitions to allow her to take her eyes off the ball, to pay more attention to the WHO and UN ego-trips than the safety of Barbadian people; she even disgracefully tried to blame the DLP government for the st ate of the economy, as if they did a Trump and left the CoVid virus under a desk. It was shameful.
Here is an example of emotional intelligence, of empathy for the bereaved; minut es befoere listening to the president I listened to the new on Sky and the young newscaster, in announcing that the CoVid dead in the UK had reached 100000 broke down in tears.
As she did her camera team also were in tears and the two guests for the newspaper review. Now that is emotional intelligence. Even Boris said sorry to the nation; Biden did. Not our president.
“Not necessarily 2 weeks becomes 4 weeks which becomes 2 months or 3 months as a rolling lockdown when people dying is multiplying so don’t hold your breath waiting”
Just as bad as a rolling lockdown is to open-up and then have to lockdown again if things goes wrong.
Those who are making the decisions find themselves in a tough spot as they are fighting a horrible disease and are being second guessed at each step of the way.
“You need to drop in ya billion dollar projects manager skills and help DIVERSIFY THE ECONOMY…and not with more tourism delusional shit, pimping and whoremongering either.”
Words of an armchair critic. Salemite, it is 2021. Have a nice day and be safe wherever you are in the world this week.
@Pacha
Unfortunately we and other SIDs have gone with the flow. We are here now and will have to deal with it. Hopefully this crisis is the disruption the region needs to get us on track.
When you take risks, calculated or otherwise, dont be surprised when things turn out worse than expected.
When are we going to learn to survive in this world without depending on foreigners to come and pay our bills for us?
What happens in 3 months when there is no vaccine and “we need the money”?
The prostitute needs to attract clientele and we are back here again.
The voices on social media platforms and editorials are all saying the same
Barbadians are being victimized while the Hotel industry is getting a free ride
@ David January 27, 2021 8:27 AM
“@Pacha
Unfortunately we and other SIDs have gone with the flow. We are here now and will have to deal with it. Hopefully this crisis is the disruption the region needs to get us on track.”
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The current crisis in public health and the ‘exposed’ economic vulnerabilities of the same “SID” Barbados also offers the golden opportunity to revisit the country’s capacity and ability to manage its sewerage and solid waste management systems including the strategies of dealing with the thousands of forex-wasting, abandoned and derelict vehicles blemishing the already ‘limited’ landscape.
Does Barbados really have the economic potential or public health capacity to welcome 80,000 additional (imported) bodies as promoted by the big-mouth politicians who can’t even tell the difference between their policy-talking arses and the deeply-indebted country’s ‘bent’ elbow of socio-economic potential to grow in order to accommodate more consumers and fewer producers?
Why not use the prevailing crisis to improve the health and socio-economic standing of the existing population before strategizing about creating a new breed of ‘imported’ Bajans?
So Barbados – are we going to diversify the economy now or are we sticking with toxic tourism?
Fat lot of good that did us!
By the way, if they have evidence against the village shops, mini marts and vendors are not following protocols why are they not simply charging the particular offenders instead of making Peter pay for Paul.
The shops and mini marts up my side are very strict with the protocols.
This is not smart as it transfers wealth to the big players. Neither is it fair.
@Crusoe
Baje is a liar. All will be revealed in the fullness of time.
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@ David
YOUR BLP PARTY GOVERNMENT FUCKING UP LOCAL BLACK BAJAN LIVES THAT YOU SUPPORT ARE TRUTH TELLERS AT ALL TIMES.
ALSO DON’T WAIT FEEL FREE TO EXPOSE ME RIGHT NOW,
YOU CAN’T INTIMIDATE ME OR PUT ME IN ANY CORNER
@ Enuff January 27, 2021 7:00 AM
The Europeans are now massively restricting air traffic. This will take care of the problem by itself. We will be COVID19-free again very soon.
We have no real “community spread”, only manageable clusters triggered by tourists, sex workers and rowdy buscrawlers. In 2022, everyone will look back and say: Thank you Supreme Leader Mia Mottley and General Bosstic for guiding us safely through the pandemic while bodies piled up in the US and UK!
Baje
I would also like to know which race /cartel own the hotels in heaven and what role the majority/ blacks play in these hotels?
Which race / cartel is profiting from letting the infected tourist come unrestricted to heaven ?
The infection and death rate of the majority/ black population ,daily, weekly/ monthly and total. ?
LOCAL BLACK BAJANS WERE BLAMED FOR BUS CRAWLS FOR SPREADING VIRUS WHEN IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE NEW VARIANT HAD TO BE ON THE ISLAND LET IN BY THE BLP INEPT GOVERNMENT TO SATISFY THEIR WHITE GREEDY SHADOW MASTERS THIRST FOR RICHES.
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‘More infectious’ UK COVID-19 strain here
The UK strain of COVID-19, said to be likely more contagious and potentially lethal, is in Barbados, the Prime Minister has confirmed, merely three days after health authorities declared there was community spread of the viral illness.
She told the nation: “I regret therefore to inform you that we have also now in addition to community spread been informed that there are traces of the new COVID variant in tests conducted on the island as well.
“[Health] Minister [Lt. Col. Jeffrey] Bostic has indicated that ten samples were sent to CARPHA [Caribbean Public Health Agency] and indeed we have now received results that three of those ten samples returned positive for the UK variant of the virus. We are only now one of several Caribbean islands and countries that now has this variant.”
The disclosure came hours after the Cayman Islands disclosed that Barbados was linked to test samples from the Cayman Islands sent to CARPHA that confirmed the variant there.
Cayman Islands Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee said the three samples were taken from travellers from the United Kingdom and Barbados.
https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/01/27/more-infectious-uk-covid-19-strain-here/
Sandy and fundy. We’re the only two PMs to speak against the private sector bosses
They were the only ones that got MARCHED out of office by the unions also.
What’s the connection ?
We must stand together in solidarity now and do not need party bickering. Our government should therefore postpone the next elections until 2026 because of the pandemic.
@ Donna
“By the way, if they have evidence against the village shops, mini marts and vendors are not following protocols why are they not simply charging the particular offenders instead of making Peter pay for Paul.”
That’s exactly the question that needs to be asked. Everyday, in the papers, people are being charged for breaking the curfew. If these small businesses were breaking the rules or not following protocol, why were they not exposed and warned?
But that’s the two Barbadoes that Adonijah and others warn us about.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.