EDITORIAL: Don’t let your guard down

Too many Barbadians are walking around without masks in public or placing them beneath their chins, in order to converse with friends and other persons they meet, whilst out and about. They are also breaching the social distancing requirements.

Now the government can only mandate that Barbadians do their part to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Barbados, but the rest lies with citizens and they must do their part, if we are to see any significant progress in terms of emerging from this pandemic.

We have heard time and time again not to let our guard down, as we traverse to and fro for business or leisure. Yet, it seems that unless there is someone standing and waving a big stick, there is a drop in the level of compliance, when it comes to certain matters. Thus, some Barbadians are a bit too carefree when they go out and about and we all know where a carefree spirit can land us, as we have seen instances in the past where the dropping of our guard led to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Of course we know that there are a myriad of factors that come into play when it comes to curbing the spread of the virus, but we can at least engage in the basics, in terms of mask wearing, sanitizing and social distancing. Those who have not been vaccinated should be extra cautious, but those who are, also need to adhere to the protocols set in place as well, as we have heard time and time again that there is still the possibility for such persons to catch the virus, through the severity of the virus may be different for such persons. We cannot have persons just throwing caution to the wind and gathering and congregating whilst forgetting the protocols, since this will not stand us in good stead, in terms of where we want to go.

Our protocols need to be reinforced for visitors coming to our shores as well, as it appears that some of them seem to think that once they reach beautiful Barbados, all bets are off since they are in paradise and they can do as they please. They too must adhere to the protocols and laws that we have in place, as they do not get a pass, simply because they have visitor status.

Yes, we know that the pandemic has taken a toll on our physical and mental health and persons want in many instances to be rid of all of the restrictions that seemingly prohibit them from carrying on with life as they previously knew it. Yes, we know that mask wearing day in and day out can be a tiresome exercise. We understand that human beings for the most part are social creatures and will want to congregate and socialise, rather than being isolated from the ones they love or want to fraternise with, but in the midst of an ongoing pandemic, we have to do what we have to, in order to remain safe.

We have certainly found news modes of operating as most of our interactions now take place online and across social media platforms. We are a resilient people overall, though there will be some who will need some extra help in order to cope with everything that has been thrown our way. Thus, we can continue to do what is required so we can emerge the better for it, in the future.