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Barbados: in the Grip of a Pandemic

The New Yorker

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Recent COVID 19 Dashboards reflect a global picture, one of rising infections caused mainly by the Delta variant. Unfortunately because Barbados does not exist in a fishbowl, our tiny island is being ravaged by the the coronavirus. Given the perilous state of the economy before the pandemic struck, Barbadians should expect a period of economic hardship for the next many years, ten, twenty …it is left to be seen. We will probably be told differently very soon with 2023 rapidly approaching.

It is regrettable the one advantage our island has compared to larger countries we continue to squander. Come together, agree to a way forward , inspire residents to rally behind a sensible plan AND EXECUTE. Instead we see the same old, political opportunism, high class ignorance and panic.

Covid 19 Dashboard 1/9/2021

The blogmaster is hopeful this blog can be used to record constructive suggestions to help onlookers negotiate the ongoing Covid 19 challenge, now and in the long-term. To repeat – the blogmaster is hopeful.

One thing is for certain, it is going to be a bleak Christmas.

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439 responses to “Barbados: in the Grip of a Pandemic”

  1. Hants Avatar
    Hants

  2. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    September 1, 2021, positivity rate 2.40. 40 new cases, including 11 children
    September 2, 2021, positivity rate 3.14. 80 new cases including 15 children.
    September 3, 2021, positivity rate 1.99. 31 new cases, including 6 children.
    September 4, 2021, positivity rate 3.03. 65 new cases including 15 children.

    As of today 484 people are in isolation.

  3. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    @The Watcher September 4, 2021 8:30 AM “Why is Gas at $4.00 a litre? That translates to almost $4US a gallon at 2.2 Liters per gallon? Why is gas soo expensive?”

    Gas is so expensive because people like you continue to buy it. I haven’t bought gas in decases. My father never bought any either, and neither did my mother or my two grandmothers.

    As long as people feel that walking half a mile is a burden, gas may go to $10 a litre.

    Try walking.

    Try riding a bicycle.

    Try taking buses.

  4. John Avatar
    John

    SS ….. former certified and certifiable virgin and consummated has been

    You are dreaming about the efficacy of your disease prevention measures and not wanting people up in your face.

    Must have been the sleep walking which caused you to forget.

    Mononucleosis is known as the kissing disease and spreads through the exchange of saliva!!!

  5. David Avatar
    David

    BAMP warns: Time for tougher measures
    By Colville Mounsey colvillemounsey@nationnews.com
    Head of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), Dr Lynda Williams, says Government needs to take urgent and stringent steps to restrict the movement of people – otherwise, there is the risk of the country’s health services being overrun.
    In an interview with the Sunday Sun, Williams warned that based on the definitions by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Barbados has met the threshold for a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, one which has gotten ahead of the health services here.
    The island recorded 632 cases of the virus in August. So far for the month there have been 176 cases, including 65 on Friday.
    “We are in another wave; we have had sustained increased cases for two weeks. Two weeks ago we called for a tightening of the measures because we didn’t want to get in a position where we are running behind the Delta variant, but rather we wanted to get the country in a position where we had the best chance to get vaccinated. We wanted to have this done before the Delta variant could run amok in our population, but now this has happened,” said Williams.
    She said she understood Government’s reservations in using terms such as lockdowns, noting that while BAMP did not deem it necessary to go back to the days of islandwide business closures, to have a 34 per cent vaccination rate was simply too low to have unrestricted movement of people while the Delta variant was spreading.
    “I am mindful that other Caribbean countries are saying that they are not going to lock down, but progressively they have had additional measures. So if we do not want to call it a lockdown, that’s fine, but we need to add greater restrictions on movement so that we can give our people the chance to get out and get vaccinated so that we can catch up to the variant because right now it is ahead of us.”
    More transmissible variant
    She added: “I don’t think we would ever see lockdowns like what we had at the beginning when things were really in a desperate place, but we need to revise what the triggers are to move from one stage to the other, because the triggers for the Alpha variant cannot hold for Delta. With this more transmissible variant we have to have softer
    triggers because we have something that can spread much faster within our population. So, if we don’t want to call it a lockdown, we can call it a restriction of movement or restrict certain days.”
    The BAMP president said she was most concerned that unless the health care system was able to get ahead of the situation, it could find itself short of physical and human resources. She pointed out that even before the pandemic the health services were stretched and she was therefore worried about its ability to keep up with the direct and indirect impacts of the more virulent strain of the virus.
    “You can’t have livelihoods without lives and of course our concern will be direct and the indirect effects of COVID-19 on the health care system. This can cause the entire health care system to be severely impacted. To this point, we have done very well in maintaining the number of services that we have been able to, but we had challenges even before COVID came along, such as delivery of health care.
    “COVID has magnified those challenges, and with this variant we are in danger of having our health care system overrun, as is the case everywhere in the world. We have to be careful that we don’t run short of physical and human resources,” Williams said.

    Source: Nation

  6. David Avatar
    David

    Are we focusing enough on mental health?
    There have been a disturbing number of suicides this year, the most recent of which occurred in August. We may never know the reasons why these people chose to take their lives but we all know that 2020 and 2021 so far have been hard years.
    The adjustment to the social isolation that resulted from the pandemic has been difficult for most people, especially those without adequate support systems or those who live alone. There have been increased financial difficulties due to large-scale job losses or reduced income and increasing prices. Barbados is now experiencing another surge of positive COVID-19 cases fuelled by the Delta variant.
    The surge will prevent the anticipated return to face-to-face schooling, which is distressing for some parents, children and teachers.
    It has also caused financial losses to those businesses that depend heavily on back-to-school sales. The number allowed in church services has been reduced to 25 people, and though I agree that in-person services should be suspended, some folks, especially the elderly, depend on face-to-face services for social interaction.
    We cannot ignore the mental and emotional strain which these most recent events may cause, particularly on those who are already struggling.
    Over the last few months, several articles have appeared in this newspaper with various mental health experts weighing in on the increasing effects on mental health caused by the pandemic. They all agree on the need to educate the public on healthy ways of dealing with emotional and mental challenges, especially those related to the pandemic and the unexpected natural disasters Barbados experienced this year. More public forums are necessary that provide education and support to those struggling to find healthy means of coping, including for our children and young people for whom the pandemic has been most challenging. To this end, I commend Sagicor for its recent webinar which focused on self-care as necessary for overall mental health.
    Very recently I felt mentally and emotionally overwhelmed, particularly due to the heated debates over mandatory vaccination. Although I was fighting fiercely to protect workers’ rights, I was crumbling under the hate, division and ridicule being propelled by people on both sides of the debate, not necessarily at me, but at each other.
    I noticed increased anxiety anytime I read the news and saw headlines about the vaccine or when I saw hurtful comments and memes on social media about the vaccinated or unvaccinated.
    I recognised the mental toll these were taking on me and decided to take a time out to avoid a mental or emotional crash.
    So I turned off my phone for four straight days, during which time I also avoided all forms of social media and the news.
    This time allowed me to recalibrate, confront and resolve my feelings of being overwhelmed and re-establish my much-needed equilibrium.
    Over the years I have learned various methods of recognising, confronting and resolving negative feelings before they cause the kind of mental or emotional stress that may have long-term negative or fatal consequences.
    Now, more than ever, we must ensure that children, young people, parents, employees and business owners have access to resources that teach mental resilience, emotional regulation and healthy ways of dealing with challenges.
    Let us not become a society where suicide becomes so common that we no longer feel a sting when it is reported in the news.
    I encourage businesses to engage in a mental health audit of their staff, including senior management, to see what mental health struggles they may be facing and how the business may assist these employees. It is also important to recognise the signs of depression or burnout among employees and recommend that they seek professional help (or facilitate it) and insist that they take vacation leave, sick days or mental health days where available.
    Michelle M. Russell is an attorney at law with a passion for employment law and labour matters and a budding social activist.

    Source: Nation

  7. David Avatar
    David

    [caption id="attachment_73529" align="aligncenter" width="572"] See BU Updates Page[/caption]

    Attached are the Charts for the week ending today. They essentially indicate that we are still firmly within the spike although the increases are not consistently in one direction. At face value the authorities are continuing to manage the situation as well as the circumstances allow – Source: Lyall Small
  8. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    Cuhdear Bajan: “Try walking”

    You once told us / said in the public domain
    that you have walked with John and GP before

    But, to quote Siddhārtha Gautama who later became to be known as “Buddha” the enlightened one or knower 2,400 years ago

    “It is better to walk alone, than walk with a fool”

    I said at the beginning of Covid that it is a good opportunity to learn and practise a daily exercise and meditation routine centring on breath work yoga tai chi qigong dancing chanting mantras etc and there are many information resources on the internet on how to train and eat good, even for old and sick people who are recovering from injuries or health issues.

    You can slowly rise while the trolls fall down wasting their time on rubbish conspiracies and theories from dubious sources with obvious bad ulterior motives.

    You don’t need to fight enemies when you can just wait and watch them die.
    Why worry about them when you can pray them away.

    The Meditations-Rastaman Prayer
    Easy Squeeze
    Black Ark Production

  9. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    Bamp is correct but govt would be slow to act as govt has many political mouths to feed
    Along with COVID 30-0 is now biting govt in the a.ss
    Can’t serve two masters at one time

  10. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    Fade Away
    Junior Byles

    He who seeks of only vanity,
    And no love for humanity,
    Shall fade away, fade away.

    He who checks for only wealth,
    And not for his physical health,
    Shall fade away, fade away.

    Though some believe in diamonds and pearl,
    And feel like they’re on top of the world,
    They shall fade away, hear what I say.

    The rich is getting richer every day,
    And the little that the poor man got,
    It shall betaken away.
    Do you hear what I say? Yeah, hear what I say.
    The man who worships silver and gold,
    Shall surely, surely, surely lose his own soul,
    Then fade away.

    The one who’s always acting smart,
    And don’t carry no love in his heart,
    Shall fade away.

    God is here and there and everywhere,
    And he knows when you play the game unfair,
    So people beware, or else you fade away!
    Hey! Beware, or dare you fade away.
    You’ve gotta fade, gotta fade, gotta fade now.

    The rich is getting richer every day,
    And the little that the poor man got,
    It shall be taken away.
    Do you hear what I say, hey? Hear what I say.

    The one who’s always acting smart,
    And forgetting to carry love in his heart,
    Shall fade away.

    God is here and there and everywhere,
    And his eyes, his eyes are watching you,
    You’re gonna fade away, yeah, yeah,
    You’re goin’ to fade, fade, fade, fade away.
    Fade away. yeah, yeah.

  11. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    “Along with COVID 30-0 is now biting govt in the a.ss”

    It is a bad time to lead with so much worries and problems

    DLP are lucky to have lost 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30

    every seat in parliament

    as they can sit on sidelines criticising like angry old bitches in the crowd of riff raff common as muck hooligans

  12. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    notice he did not say NO

  13. 555dubstreet Avatar
    555dubstreet

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BNj70DiB4aa/

    Our Father
    Who art in heaven
    Hallowed by the name
    Thy kingdom come
    The will be done
    On earth as it is
    in heaven
    Give us this day our daily
    Chocolate
    Swiss Chocolate

    SATURDAY MORNING PRAYER THANK YOU GOD FOR OUR DAILY LINDOR, MY FAVORITE CHOCOLATE !!!

    AND I LOVE THIS CHOCOLATE PLEASE MY FANS, LIKE AND COMMENT. LOVE YOU ALL £$P >>>> #leescratchperry #leeperry

  14. John Avatar
    John

    DavidSeptember 5, 2021 5:13 AM

    BAMP warns: Time for tougher measures
    By Colville Mounsey colvillemounsey@nationnews.com
    Head of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), Dr Lynda Williams, says Government needs to take urgent and stringent steps to restrict the movement of people – otherwise, there is the risk of the country’s health services being overrun.

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    If I am right about the water then COVID cases are in hot spots which are known.

    As people from these hotspots travel around they can spread the virus.

    There are two options.

    Stop people getting out of these hot spots …..

    OR ………………………………

    …………………. stop the supply of water from infected sources getting in!!!

    If I am right, there is only one solution!!

  15. John Avatar
    John

    I don’t know what Taiwan did to stop the rise of COVID and drive it down to almost zero but I do know what they did at the start of the rise which may have caused it to rise. They added a desal plant and brought numerous supply wells into production to address the drought in January.

    Taiwan is now getting floods, so much for the drought.

    https://imgur.com/Tw91VlE

  16. David Avatar
    David

    The key to avoiding massive, economically ruinous lockdowns is effective testing, isolation, and contact tracing to control viral spread. Taiwan’s innovative electronic health records system made possible the country’s swift, targeted response to Covid-19. Although the system was not designed to stop a pandemic, it was nimble enough to be reoriented toward one.

    Every person in Taiwan has a health card with a unique ID that all doctors and hospitals use to access online medical records. Providers use the card to document care episodes for reimbursement from the Ministry of Health. As a result, the card gives the ministry regular, nearly real-time data on physician and hospital visits and use of specific services.

    https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/30/taiwan-lessons-fighting-covid-19-using-electronic-health-records/

  17. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    When mental fatigue sets in it becomes unbearable and intolerable for any one to bear in a continuous manner
    Plus the always overreaching of govt mandates which affect the normal functions of the mind like the inability for an individual to make own decisions of comfort
    Covid is not only a physical debilating virus but one which can take a severe toll on the mind young or old
    Simple task being ask by govt for the people to abandon ..as people we have been conditioned to be social and having to adjust to an antisocial behaviour that can impact on the way we meet and greet with friends and family members is harmful and will cause division and physchological harm
    Govt is a dilemma unheard of and must now come to terms that treating the virus on one end is not the final closure

  18. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    @ David September 5, 2021 5:13 AM

    The BAMP president is abusing her public office and engaging in opposition politics. Time for our government to impose a prison sentence for breeding unnecessary hysteria!

    Die-hard nationalists like the BAMP president should rather ask themselves why we have not enough vaccine: Because Barrow led Barbados to independence in 1966 with false promises. The British Overseas Territory of Bermuda has enough vaccine, while we want to introduce the Republic.

  19. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    In other CARICOM member countries, the government requires a vaccination certificate to enter government buildings, and in our country, the police stands idly by as wild native crowds protest against vaccinations and that without masks.

  20. David Avatar
    David

    @Tron

    We trust the scientists or …

  21. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    @ David September 5, 2021 8:38 AM

    The BAMP president is no scientist but a political doctor. Science is to produce, procure and administer enough vaccine. Why doesn’t she campaign for more vaccines?

    Mask-wearing, quarantine and social distancing are only crutches for technologically and mentally backward societies like Australia, New Zealand and some local pepper islands. There is vaccine in abundance for all countries today, if only they are solvent enough. In Europe and the USA, the vaccination campaign is almost over, so vaccine is being produced in large stockpiles there.

    David, finally admit to yourself that as a British Overseas Territory we would have enough vaccine now. The many Corona deaths and a devastated economy are the price for a wrong turn in 1966.

  22. John Avatar
    John

    DavidSeptember 5, 2021 7:25 AM

    The key to avoiding massive, economically ruinous lockdowns is effective testing, isolation, and contact tracing to control viral spread. Taiwan’s innovative electronic health records system made possible the country’s swift, targeted response to Covid-19. Although the system was not designed to stop a pandemic, it was nimble enough to be reoriented toward one.

    Every person in Taiwan has a health card with a unique ID that all doctors and hospitals use to access online medical records. Providers use the card to document care episodes for reimbursement from the Ministry of Health. As a result, the card gives the ministry regular, nearly real-time data on physician and hospital visits and use of specific services.

    https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/30/taiwan-lessons-fighting-covid-19-using-electronic-health-records/

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    That was June 2020, prehistoric days!!.

    Taiwan had 200 days without a single LOCALLY TRANSMITTED COVID case.

    https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/29/asia/taiwan-covid-19-intl-hnk/index.html

    Then there was a drought and alternative sources of water were found and made available in early 2021..

    COVID went crazy there about May but they have recovered the situation as is shown in the graph above.

    It’s not the cards and the testing and the lockdowns and the social distancing.

    It is something else and I say it is the water!!

  23. John Avatar
    John

    My bet is the Taiwanese Government shut down the offending sources but it is also possible that they do not have a clue and the floods which started recently removed the need for the new sources of water.

    There is no way that a lapse in concentration or a dropping of guard can explain what happened in Taiwan.

    There was something far more fundamental than Government rules that explains the situation there.

  24. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    “Bamp is correct but govt would be slow to act as govt has many political mouths to feed. Along with COVID 30-0 is now biting govt in the a.ss. Can’t serve two masters at one time.”

    Are the above comments coming from the same individual who criticised BAMP………. and ‘government’ for previously enacting lock downs, curfews and similar policies now being articulated by BAMP?

    It’s the type of contradictory, ‘baffled bullshit’ comments and ‘political doublespeak’ that occur when ‘negatively charged’ individuals get up every morning looking for ‘slightest thing’ to criticize……. and would descend into the ‘realm of absurdity’ when they can’t find anything to be critical of.

  25. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    I don’t give a sh** about issues like the republic and the like.

    De facto, our vaccination campaign came to a standstill after the first Indian delivery. That is the only thing that matters. If we continue vaccinating at the same pace, we won’t achieve herd immunity until the end of 2022. Or never ever.

  26. The Watcher Avatar
    The Watcher

    @ Angela Cox September 5, 2021 8:18 AM

    I really think that you need to write that again. This time, simplify it down to just the most basic words possible because I do not know if persons who have read what you have said understand the significant and detrimental implications of what you have identified here.
    You see the whole idea of (Social Distancing) which is really physical distancing mis-labeled. That will impact the minds of the most fragile in our social circles first and make them susceptible to the suggestions of the media and “leaders” being used as proxies by the CDC, WHO and the real drivers of this pandemic, ” The Shadow Government”
    Make absolutely no mistake here, the more fear you drive into persons and make then distrustful of each other, the more you gain control over their minds.
    In watching a movie recently named Kingsmen: The Golden Circle, the main villain played by Samuel L Jackson has successfully implanted into the necks of persons a chip that simply explodes on his command when his will is not met.
    While this looks so far fetched from reality as it can possibly appear to be I always seem to draw parallels between Art and its imitation of life.
    But I digressed slightly there so let me pull these two together.
    When this vaccine and the cumulative effects of it, plus the mentally worn condition of those who are now fully mentally impacted by the two or three years of brow-beatings comes to the full understanding of all, I suspect that we will have such a radically different and fractured society from what we have now, that turmoil will be the outcome.
    I am also intentionally not saying too much here because there is such a deep hole that this leads down into that I am not sure that this is the forum for it.

    Thats why I want to admonish you to say this again in the simplest of terms, because people “uh-nuf” are going to become mad-men and mad-women when we finally declare by whatever means we will, Covid is under control, time to return to a New way of life.

  27. WURA-WAR-on-U Avatar
    WURA-WAR-on-U

    TLSN….in the middle of a dangerous plague and hear what those with nothing better to do are saying…all the signs are right there…Africans and others need to focus.

    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/to-be-truly-british-the-country-needs-to-stay-largely-white-really-lionel-shriver/ar-AAO6VBR?ocid=msedgntp

  28. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    The Watcher
    In your above comment u have added a reality that can come to fruition when fear boggs down the mind and individuals lives become in total control of others telling people how to think and what to do
    Only recently I mentioned that scenarios to some one with a sigh of interjecting we are becoming robots
    Yes the strings are cleverly being attached

  29. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    Well before covid, we would see Asians wearing masks in parks and even on the subway.

    Because of the bird flue and Stars Taiwan and other Asian countries had the jump on the West when it came to mask wearing. What we may be seeing is the ready acceptance in the East of mask as protective versus the silly debate in the West on the usefulness of mask.

    https://qz.com/299003/a-quick-history-of-why-asians-wear-surgical-masks-in-public/

    Still out of the covid/water business.

  30. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    bird flue and sars, Taiwan

  31. David Avatar
    David

    Antigua is reporting 111 new cases today.

  32. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    Yes the more cases the worst the issue becomes
    Harrison point is overwhelmed and filled to capacity
    The de Santos lab cannot handled the onslaught of testing
    What seems to be developing is a health system under stress than can cause it to collapse
    Yet govt continues to let tourist into the country
    A penny wise and a pound foolish

  33. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    It is time BAMP bring out all their members to work shifts at the QEH and Isolation facilities free of charge instead of asking for always asking for lockdowns and restrictions BAMP knows will not affect their business.

  34. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    In recent travels I had two fears
    (1) Not getting the results of the pcr test on time thus resulting in
    (2) an inability to return to the USA and having to take the test again.

    If Barbados wishes to remain open and attract tourists then we have to get some things right. The Barbados experience has to be more than you spend your money enjoying the sun, sea and sand and then worrying about delays in getting back home.

    Tourism officials/hoteliers have to look at tourists getting in and out of the island.

    In my opinion, getting out is more important than getting in. Let me be even more direct, if I have to spend extra money to get out then I would begin to wonder if I am being cheated/scammed in some way.

    We know that some tourists are already straining the island homeless resources. Tourism officials/hoteliers/locals must abandon the notion that all tourists have extra money to spend on an extended stay. Get the tests for tourists departure done on time.

    Clean your act. Figure out how to get people out of the island on theit scheduled departure time.

  35. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    Last time the scheduling of testing response time for visitors was met with excuses borne out of technological equipment delay process
    Presently the response hinges on businesses who on the first knowing of one of their employees having contracted the virus demands that the entire staff gets testing
    COVID is the fastest horse running govt and people butt wild
    Yet govt keep letting more people into the island knowing that there are hard issues surrounding this virus which cannot be met with quick response

  36. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    Trumpellia fans having a boat fest

  37. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    I am coming to the conclusion that our talk exceeds our game.
    https://www.sxmairport.com/news-030421-New-COVID-19-Test-Center-Opens-at-SXM-Airport.php

    An excerpt
    “Today, the COVID-19 Task Force of the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) has launched its first COVID-19 Test Center in a collaborative effort with the local Healthcare Lab. Departing passengers now have the option to be administered an antigen test with only a fifteen (15) minute wait time for test results, before they check-in for a flight.’

  38. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Ontario reports more than 800 new COVID-19 cases for third straight day

    https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-reports-more-than-800-new-covid-19-cases-for-third-straight-day-1.5574245

  39. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    Is Dos Santos the only place in the island for that can conduct covid testing?
    Is it a monopoly? It might be making tons of money, but it appears inadequate if we wish our tourism product to be take seriously.

    –dun wid dat—-

  40. John Avatar
    John

    HantsSeptember 5, 2021 1:17 PM

    Ontario reports more than 800 new COVID-19 cases for third straight day

    https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-reports-more-than-800-new-covid-19-cases-for-third-straight-day-1.5574245

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Which part of Ontario is the worst affected?

    Ontario is a bit bigger than Barbados.

  41. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    I thought the delay in receiving PCR tests for people returning to their homes was a thing of the past and I am wondering about what excuse the Gov’t/ Best-Dos Santos would offer. I also note that Air Canada is receiving collateral damage from a screw up that’s not its fault.

    The Gov’t can’t on the one hand encourage people to visit Barbados and then can’t facilitate their leaving on time.

    Welcome to the Hotel Barbados
    Such a lovely place-such a lovely place
    You can check out anytime
    But you can never leave

    (With apologies to The Eagles)

  42. David Avatar
    David

    The issue as reported in the press last week is because there has been a rush by Barbadians to the gymnasium to be tested in light of the outbreak attributed to delta being here.

  43. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    “In watching a movie recently named Kingsmen: The Golden Circle, the main villain played by Samuel L Jackson has successfully implanted into the necks of persons a chip that simply explodes on his command when his will is not met.”

    @ The Watcher

    Watched that movie last Sunday…………. I believe you meant, “Kingsman: The Secret Service.”

  44. John2 Avatar
    John2

    If at this point we cannot handle 2000 tests Per day then we are not y’et ready for the Winter tourist season.

  45. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    @J2
    https://www.worlddata.info/america/barbados/tourism.php

    Excerpt
    “Barbados recorded a total of 966,000 tourists in 2019, ranking 137th in the world in absolute terms.

    That smaller countries regularly perform lower in a comparison of the absolute number of guests, is obvious. By putting the tourist numbers in relation to the population of Barbados, the result is much more comparable picture: With 3.4 tourists per resident, Barbados ranked 39th in the world. In Caribbean, it ranked 15th.

    Barbados generated around 1.13 bn US Dollar in the tourism sector alone. This corresponds to 25.77 percent of its the gross domestic product and approximately 4 percent of all international tourism receipts in Caribbean.”

    2021 might be a poorer year, but with 966,000 in 2019 then 2000/day may be on the low side. That number seems a bit high.

  46. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    @J2 Unfortunately, we will not see anywhere near those numbers in 2021. Your 2000 may be a good number.

    https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/blog/july-arrivals-set-new-record-for-barbados-for-2021/

  47. John2 Avatar
    John2

    Theo

    Yes 2000 is low – even though i dont expect a return to 2019 Numbers this winter season

    2000 is 1000 arriving and 1000 leaving. Then u have the local testing

    We need to ramp it up

  48. John Avatar
    John

    But all de experts say don’t test any more!!!

  49. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    GoB can set a policy that visitors must be fully vaccinated and have a negative pcr test within 72 hours before boarding a plane.

    With such a rigidly enforced policy, hotels would not need to have a mandatory vaccination policy for guests and confrontation with traveling/booking groups is no longer an issue.

    In addition, we save that 1000 pcr tests for incoming visitors.

  50. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    @blogmster
    Please kill the post preceding this. What I am seeing is more than I intended to post.

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