PM: Stay home!

IF you are not essential to the running of TT, stay home until April 15, the Prime Minister told the nation in a new thrust to curb any local spread of the covid19 global pandemic. After Sunday only essential workers should go to work, Dr Rowley told Thursday’s post-Cabinet briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s.

His directive to keep people off the streets came as the number of infected people reached 65 on Thursday and one death, amid reports of some returning nationals failing to self-isolate.

"We have not declared a state of emergency or any lock down. It is an upgrade of the stay at home." His instructions came a day after Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar had urged a two-week lock-down, as she announced the first death of a covid19 patient at Couva Hospital.

“From Sunday midnight we will deepen our separation by having non-essential activities forbidden.” He said people may go out to get essential food and medicine.

Rowley said on Friday the Ministries of National Security and Health will issue a list of what are deemed to be essential services.

He began by listing the health sector, social sector, public utilities, delivery and supply systems, airport and seaport staff, customs and immigration, banks, media, and the food and market sector.

Rowley said the country was not a light bulb that one could switch off.

“A huge chunk of the country has to function as a response to the virus. ‘Lockdown’ may be a fashion statement. Some are required to be in and some are required to be out.”

Hoping to stay ahead of the curve of new infections, he said the “muscle of the law” will enforce Cabinet’s instructions and the police will enforce quarantine laws. “This is no joke. This is about life and death. Your responsibility is required and will be extracted.”

Rowley had earlier offered his condolences over TT's first covid19 death. “As a nation, this single death is a marker for us all, we are all exposed.”

He said after initial restrictions on places like bars were obeyed by most citizens, a newspaper had called for a lockdown, while the Government will rely on its own experts.

“This is a long pathway we need to travel. Every day is a changed situation. We are not panicking. We’ll maintain our course on the basis of our experts to be ready for what is ahead of us.

“We are not responding to the PR call, the political call, to do ‘this’ now or ‘that’ now.”

He said the Government’s decisions were not based just on what is before us now, but on what’s happening in the world.

Rowley noted 330,000 holders of TT passports live outside TT, even as this country has shut its borders. Rowley urged individuals to not be a problem during the covid19 crisis.

“If we can be as disciplined on this occasion as we are at Panorama, we can succeed.”

He said TT expects every person to do their duty.

Rowley asked banks and supermarkets to dedicate their first two hours, 8-10 am, to senior citizens, a class most at risk from the virus. Minister of Social Development Camille Robinson-Regis said homes for the aged have reduced the number of visitors allowed to try to cut the risk of infection of residents.

'MUSCLE OF THE LAW'

Commissioner of Police (CoP) Gary Griffith in a statement on Thursday said the police had raised their alert level from yellow to orange, after Cabinet's directives.

While some people continue to break the law on not congregating, he said the police would increase their patrols nationwide, with all 85 Emergency Response Patrol (ERP) vehicles working 24/7 until further notice, backed by the Highway Patrol with its 100 new motorbikes.

Griffith lamented people still congregate at social and gambling establishments, closed beaches and restaurants offering in-house dining.

While the police have had some success with moral persuasion to get citizens to obey recent amendments to the Public Health Ordinance, they will take further steps to ensure laws are not broken. Griffith said all applications for vacation leave by police officers be restricted at this time, except in emergency cases, so as to have most officers available during this crisis.