Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and Minister of Health & Wellness, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic address the nation – September 9, 2021. (PMO)
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has announced new changes to the directives to slow down the spread of COVID-19 in Barbados, during her address to the nation from Ilaro Court, this afternoon.
Those changes will come into effect from Saturday, September 11.
Ms. Mottley said that the curfew would start from 9:00 p.m. and end at 5:00 a.m., Mondays to Saturdays, and on Sundays, the curfew will begin at 6:00 p.m. and end at 5:00 a.m. the next day.
She continued: “We’re asking persons to adhere to those things. There is one exception. We recognise that restaurants are back in business; we’re asking people to go for early suppers. The restaurants can stay and serve up until about 8:30 p.m. for those who live half hour away, or 15 minutes away, but we are giving what is otherwise known as an extended pass or laissez-passer to those restaurant workers, so that they can get home…. They will be allowed to be on the road until 11 p.m., when the curfew finishes at nine, and until 8:00 p.m., when the curfew finishes at 6:00.”
Prime Minister Mottley also urged persons not to gather, “especially for the next two weeks.” She added: “We are, therefore, going to prohibit indoor dining in those fast food restaurants for the next two weeks, while at the same time continuing to ask you not to gather in shops or places inside, where there is an outdoor option.”
She also made mention of the ventilation issues in warehouses and other buildings, stating: “We spoke with the private sector, and I know that the relevant officials in the government are in fact dealing with individual entities to be able to ensure that we can improve ventilation.”
The Prime Minister announced that hiking and all contact sports would be put on hold for the next two weeks.
“We’re asking for that because we believe that for now, slow down. We don’t need to lock down if we can slow down and we can vaccinate, and that is absolutely, absolutely critical,” she said. Ms. Mottley spoke about the improper wearing of masks.
“I’ve asked the Attorney General to please ensure that it is now explicit in the protocols that persons must wear the mask, above their nose and below the chin. It does not come with a penalty, but it is coming as a reminder to persons that this is nothing to play with.”
FABIAN BELGRAVE – BGIS
Private Doctors To Also Administer COVID-19 Vaccines
SEP 9, 2021 — By Sharon Austin-Gill Moore – BGIS
Private doctors in Barbados will soon be administering COVID-19 vaccines.
This announcement came from Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley today, as she addressed the nation, from Ilaro Court.
Ms. Mottley told the country: “The Minister of Health, this morning, also issued a directive to his officials that as a matter of policy, the Government of Barbados now will extend the opportunity to private doctors to help also in the vaccination campaign. And that is absolutely critical, if we are to meet where we want to go….
“We … have been meeting with BAMP, such that those private doctors who will be brought on board, the Government will pay them to be able to administer the vaccine, so that they do not have to charge any citizen either for the vaccine or for… administering the vaccine on any patient….”
The Prime Minister noted that because of the increasing numbers in quarantine and isolation, the Ministry of Health officials had settled on a home quarantine and home isolation policy, which would now have to be rolled out. She stressed, however, that there would be massive public education on the policy.
“It will only be permitted for extremely low risk persons, not medium risk, not high risk, but those persons who predominantly are minimal risk to themselves and minimal risk to the country….
“The information on home isolation and home quarantine will be made available to you and the criteria for it, which will require security guards, or alternatively persons may say, I don’t want a security guard; I prefer to have a monitoring bracelet as well as a CCTV camera as well as the periodic checking of the Ministry of Health persons,” she said.
Ms. Mottley stated that mobile community vaccine stations were being set up in various areas over the next few days. She pointed out that two were in Deacons Farm and Silver Hill today, and they would be in the Pine Housing Area and Haynesville on Friday.
New Orleans in St. Michael, and Maynards Housing Area, St. Peter, will be the stops on Saturday, while Bush Hall and Orange Hill, in St. James will be Sunday’s destinations. Next Monday, they will visit Carrington Village and Ellerton.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said an increasing number of Barbadians were relying on social media to get their information, which could be as enlightening as it could be misleading. Therefore, she continued, a national COVID-19 Public Information Advisor would be appointed, along with an established PR firm.
She pointed out that they would work daily with the health communications team, the Public Affairs Department and the Barbados Government Information Service, since Government needed to significantly expand the vaccine conversation in a shorter period of time.
“We will make the announcement as to who that person is … when we settle the arrangements with that person. As you know, I go back into Cabinet this evening and will settle the arrangements, I hope, with the person, this weekend. Similarly, we also accept that those persons will also help us in the engagement with NGOs, with sporting groups, with almost every demographic in this country,” she added.
Ms. Mottley also disclosed that in light of the increasing COVID-19 cases in the Caribbean, she had written to Chairman of CARICOM, Gaston Browne, who is also the Prime Minister of Antigua, for an urgent Heads of Government meeting.
“The reality is that the evidence is showing that the Caribbean is red hot, as we speak. And the reality also is that in being hot, what it means is that countries are under pressure,” she surmised.
