While expressing satisfaction about Barbados’ success in containing the spread of COVID-19, Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic, warned against complacency. (GP)

While expressing satisfaction about Barbados’ success in containing the spread of COVID-19, Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic, last night warned residents against complacency, arrogance and recklessness.

With nine people in isolation and no new cases recorded since last Saturday, Minister Bostic said he was satisfied that Barbados had been able to contain the spread of the viral illness, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in early March.

However, he cautioned: “A lockdown on its own does not stop the spread of COVID. In a similar fashion, the reopening of the country to economic activity on its own will not cause a spike…the glue that holds this thing together is the strict adherence to public health protocols. That is what is going to take us through.”

The Health and Wellness Minister said that everyone needed to accept the fact that COVID-19 was going to be around “for a while”, whether or not a vaccine was discovered, adding “we all have to be able to live with this pandemic”.

And, he outlined some of the ways in which residents can safely do this. “We have to be cognizant of what is happening around us, be our brother’s keeper, ensure that we do everything possible within our households, within our communities, within places of worship, within business places and our public spaces to stay safe.”

Minister Bostic submitted that if residents continued to do the right things, everyone will be able to live, relatively comfortably, within the “new normal” the country was facing.

Stressing the importance of returning to economic activity, he noted that without it, the healthcare system itself would collapse.

“We still have a high quality of health care to deliver to the Barbadian public but it is up to each and every one of us to do our part in adhering to the protocols,” he urged.

joy.springer@barbados.gov.bb

Pin It on Pinterest