EDITORIAL: Caution urged

With all of the fanfare which was set up to herald this island’s achievement of zero cases a few weeks ago, there was a sense of calm which came over the country.

That was to mark the end of this period which this island went through from the end of March as the novel coronavirus started to grip the western world.

The island was placed under lockdown, with curfews put into place. At first, the curfew started from 8 pm, then as cases increased, that curfew was amended to start at 6 pm.

Movement was restricted as Government placed measures in place to control how many Barbadians could be engaging in activities which would impact the potential and capacity of the virus to spread.

The nature of the disease is what makes it so deadly and dangerous. The invisible enemy attacks vital organs and tackles the respiratory organs within the body.

Those with pre-existing conditions which are dependent on oxygen in the blood, face serious odds of surviving the virus. That makes the challenge for this country much more dire, as we currently have a growing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) problem.

Diabetes, High Blood pressure and a whole host of lifestyle diseases which have become a part of the Barbadian existence, all contribute to an underlying potential high mortality which increases as the virus attacks the society.

The resumption of passenger flights into the island is a cause for concern. The Barbadian public has understood the challenges faced as the virus spreads. They have made adjustments to their daily lives as mandated by the protocols set by Government.   

Those who have to work outside where caught struggling when the lockdown started. As cases dropped and recoveries happened, restrictions were eased, with a caveat that a reimposition of measures to limit movements could come.

However, as of Saturday July 11, this island recorded five new cases from a repatriation flight from a COVID-19 hotspot in the United States. Cases have spiked in recent days in Florida and even in New York, which makes the policy of relaxing restrictions on air travel all the more worrisome.

The rush to give the appearance that all is well in this country belies the fundamental reality that it is not that way. Six cases have beenconfirmed from that one flight and those numbers could shift upwards. A plane is one of the worst places to have a virus for a period of hours. A common cold spreads like wildfire when you travel so why should the highly infectious Coronavirus be any different.

The timeline prior to travel is a major problem. Asymptomatic carriers who might not test positive prior to departure but arrive and develop symptoms present challenges to health professionals who have to manage the virus.

We have to be cautious, even as we seek normalcy within our economy.