Barbados re-evaluate all protocols related to COVID-19

Due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in the country, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Kenneth George, announced on Sunday that all local establishments to re-evaluate all protocols related to COVID-19.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George stated that while a press conference following reports that 40 people, 20 males and 20 females, were diagnosed with COVID-19, they also announced new restrictions.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George announced the change in the time of curfew. Now the curfew would start from 11 pm to morning 5 am. There would be a ban on the local social gatherings, and only 100 persons would be allowed in the church at a time.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George also highlighted that in the last couple of days, 31 new COVID-19 cases had been registered, and 21 new cases of COVID-19 have been registered at local businesses.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George also warned that Health Ministry has been aware of businesses that were not adhering to protocols with employers and employees ditching most protocols while they are out of the public’s eye.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George said that theproblematicen noticing that when the people go into businesses across Barbados, they get some businesses doing a temperature check, they get hand sanitizer. The worrisome part of those businesses has been that the operations that they do not see. They had good reason to believe those operations include how people mix and mingle within the business. There is a feeling of comfort with their peers, and the worrisome part of that has been where persons scrambled for example when they had their lunch break or other breaks, they are close to each other, they have not been social distancing, and they have not been wearing their masks. So, it looks like a facade that what has been happening in the front is not necessarily what is being translated in the back of the business.

Health Minister Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic, while talking to the reporters, said that he would be meeting with the management of the COVID monitoring unit on Monday because they had to enforce the protocols, and where people have not been doing it on their own, then the government have to take the necessary action to ensure that citizens do if they were going to keep Barbados safe.