No time for skylark

COOPERATION and coordination must be at the core of the response to covid19. Now is a time to pay heed to our national motto: Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve.

We urge all citizens to stay calm; to implement the appropriate course of action regarding exposure, potential or proven, the management of symptoms, and the supervision of children and the elderly. Consult authoritative sources of information, medical and logistical, and apprise yourself of guidelines being issued, including the detailed procedures outlined yesterday morning by Minister of Labour Jennifer Baptise-Primus and senior public servants.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s statement in Parliament on Friday made clear the gravity of this extraordinary and unprecedented situation. Not only are schools and universities closed, but the prime minister has made a series of entreaties in order to slow down, delay and possibly prevent the spread of the virus.

“Do not expose yourself unnecessarily through non-essential mass gathering,” he said. “Limit your exposure to public places. Only travel if essential or it is an emergency.” At the same time, Rowley was not calling for people to abdicate their responsibilities.

“This is not a pass to skylark and evade your responsibility and play smart as an employee,” he said. “Promote a workplace culture that supports people staying at home when genuinely sick.” He called on managers and business owners to implement realistic sick leave policies and to be flexible with workplace arrangements.

But leaving nothing to chance, the Government nonetheless went even further yesterday, announcing a plan to create a new type of leave—pandemic leave—which will apply outside of normal sick leave. The plan points to the delicate balance that has to be struck between getting people to act voluntarily, and micro-managing the response to this perilous pandemic. The very lifeblood of our country is threatened. But by using tried and tested models, such as working from home or offsite, we can cushion the blow.

We salute all the members of the essential services, especially doctors, who will have to report for work today as normal. Their dedication should serve as a reminder of the standard of discipline needed to navigate these choppy waters.

The whole country is embroiled in this matter. We call on all sectors—government, labour, business—to cooperate fully to ensure we sail through this storm as efficiently as possible. We are always mindful of our penchant to make light of very ominous situations and leave them in the hands of our Trini God to pull us through. So just as the turmoil of the attempted coup of 1990, despite all the mayhem surrounding us spawned, of all things, coup parties, we will not be surprised if some covet-19 versions are in the works. This would be foolish.

One look at what the coronavirus pandemic has done to the world map and the restrictions that the crisis has inspired, and we should understand this cannot be an excuse for fete. Neither is it a time for misinformation and political gimmickry.