Mixed business views on SoE covid effectiveness

Members of the private sector had mixed views about whether the state of emergency (SoE) imposed last year by the Government was effective in any way in curbing the number of covid19 cases.

They expressed these views during a virtual meeting of the Finance and Legal Affairs Joint Select Committee (JSC) on Friday.

The SoE was first imposed on May 15, 2021. The House of Representatives met on May 24 to extend it to August 29 and subsequently met on August 25 to extend it further to November 29, 2021

At a news conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's on November 13, 2021, the Prime Minister announced the SoE would be lifted on November 17. At that time, Dr Rowley said the reason for the SoE was only to curb the spread of covid19 through limiting congregations of people in public places and reducing physical movement, while efforts were made to acquire covid19 vaccines for the population.

"We have done that. The SoE gave us breathing room...that and the vaccination programme."

Responding to a question from Opposition Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial about whether the SoE was effective in combatting the spread of covid19, San Juan Business Association president Jason Roach replied, "I would say yes."

While accepting the SoE worked to reduce the the movement of people in public spaces and gatherings of people in public, Roach said, "I believe that the intervals for which we were shut down was a little too long."

He added that "pandemic fatigue" is affecting a lot of people now.

Relating some recent conversations he had with nurses, Roach said, " A lot of them are fatigued from combatting this pandemic for so long."

TT Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI) president Mark Edgehill shared Roach's view.

Chairman of the Tobago Division of the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce Diane Hadad said, "The SoE at the time, I want to believe that Government would have made a decision in their best knowledge, understanding what was going on."

Hadad added, "To be fair, I don't think any one of us has the pandemic plan in our drawers and never worked that business model." Sangre Grande Chamber of Commerce president Preston Sam said business activity in Sangre Grande has picked up a little since the SoE was lifted, in activities such as in-house dining in restaurants. But he added the levels of customers coming to these business are not at pre-pandemic levels.

JSC chair, Independent Senator Hazel Thompson-Ahye asked Hadad and Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association director Mike Walmsley whether recent decisions to reopen beaches had improved business in Tobago.

Walmsley said there has been an increase in occupancy at Tobago's hotels and guesthouses since the beaches were reopened last December.

"People want to come because they want to go to the beach. They need to bathe in the sea."

At a news conference at the Diplomatic Centre on January 15, Rowley said the opening hours of beaches would be extended from 5 am-2 pm. When the beaches were reopened last December, the opening hours were 5 am-noon,

Walmsley felt opening beaches from 5 am-4 pm was more practical.

"That would allow water sports and other activities to take place, without the liming."

Hadad did not think there should be a closing time for beaches.

"However, I would like to suggest that maybe we keep the containment of the alcohol consumption and the things that create the behavioural patterns that become unbecoming and take away the actual purpose of the enjoyment and health benefits of the ocean and the properties around (it)."

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat said the SoE was absolutely necessary for the time that it was in effect. Personally, he believed the curfew that was associated with the SoE could have been kept in place a little longer after the SoE was discontinued last November.