PHASE 2 OFF TO A BUSY START

Yesterday marked the first day of Phase Two of the COVID-19 pandemic plan and as more businesses reopened and more restrictions were eased, Barbadians were out in their numbers.

Though it may have been too soon to take the reopening process to another level in the eyes of many, yesterday the first day of further ease in the restrictions began. The roads were full of cars and the streets were taken over by people and even with the numbers less than a full reopening of the island, the volume of people moving around the island was high. Supermarkets, mini-marts and village shops opened as usual with the alphabetised system, but yesterday was the first time in weeks that they were allowed to sell alcoholic beverages.

In Bridgetown alone, thousands of people traversed along Swan Street and Broad Street to conduct business, lining up as usual to gain access to some of the newly reopened services. The queues outside hair stores, pharmacies and financial institutions were long and in many cases, social distancing was not being adhered to.

The markets were thriving as well with vendors out in full force, and those who plied their trade by the now filled Fairchild Street Bus Terminal were swamped by customers and passers-by. Along with that, there were thousands more people at the beaches across Barbados yesterday, taking advantage of the first morning of the new 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. time slot for sea bathers as announced by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley last Wednesday evening.

The Royal Barbados Police Force was also out in force, working to ensure that the ease of measures did not turn into a disaster on the roads. Marked jeeps and trucks patrolled the roads while officers were seen walking through Bridgetown, keeping the peace. Most of those who conducted business yesterday were equipped with masks correctly on their faces but others preferred to wear them under their chin or were completely without one.

The concern remains that there is now more than ever a need for all those who have now been given permission by law to reopen as a business or be on the road as an individual, to maintain the same caution that was displayed early in the crisis. They say it only takes one rotten apple to spoil the barrel but in this case, the consequences of a few irresponsible people, could be a matter of life and death as Barbados charts the path to recovery. (AS)