Bostic believes we can live safely with COVID
Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic says he is satisfied Barbadian authorities have been able to contain the spread of COVID-19, but they are not becoming complacent or reckless.
And he believes this strain of the coronavirus will be with us for some time, whether there is a vaccine or not, so we have to be able to live with it.
He was speaking on Thursday evening during a press conference hosted by Prime Minister Mia Mottley at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on the new Barbados Optional Savings Scheme (BOSS) and to announce a further relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions.
“If we discover there are any cases, we will continue to do what we have been doing – isolate, treat, contact tracing and contain. I am happy to say that even now, even if we were to get cases now, we are better prepared as a country to face with anything that comes our way than we were before we had the very first case,” Bostic said.
He also sought to reassure those who might be concerned about the lifting of restrictions amidst fears of a second wave of the illness.
“I want to say to all Barbadians that a lockdown on its own will 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. What we have to be able to do, the glue that holds this thing together, is the strict adherence to public health protocols. That is what is going to take us through, but we have to be cognisant of what is going on around us.”
Bostic said it was important to reopen the country to economic activity, if not, the healthcare system will collapse.
Repeating the same message from the beginning, he urged Barbadians to be “smart”. That means, continue to sanitise hands and surfaces, look after personal hygiene and observe physical distancing.
The Minister of Health said precautions should be taken in the home, at work, in businesses places and all public spaces.
“If we continue to do the right things, I am satisfied based on what we are seeing here in Barbados at this time, we would be able to live relatively comfortably in this new normal that we are facing.”
Up to May 28, Barbados has conducted 5 201 tests. There have been 92 positive cases with 76 recoveries and seven deaths. Nine people remain in isolation. (SAT)
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