Bring on the SoE

THE EDITOR: This is a call to government, stay at home orders are not enough. We must institute a complete lockdown of the country except for essential services. To this end, it should be compulsory that citizens stay at home.

A vigorous follow-up and assessment of the 19,000-plus nationals who returned from foreign before the borders closed should be conducted transparently and in full view of the public. The real and present danger to an entire population ought not to be pussy-footed around individual rights to privacy.

With regard to undocumented,illegal immigrants, TT's highly porous borders, TT's proximity to Venezuela whose health system is highly suspect and itinerant, ill-disciplined and poorly schooled sections of our population, effect should be given to safeguarding the overarching public interest against this clear and present danger to such an extent that it overrides individual rights.

In this regard, a state of emergency (SoE) should be implemented. Our Defence Force has a critical role in the fight against the covid19.

In order to better safeguard ourselves and our families, the State needs to give alot more information in terms of the conditions under which this virus exists, namely by gender, age groups, street location of victims and communities touched. Persons quarantined as a result of the virus should be physically and clearly identifiably labelled to prevent incursions and further contamination.

To drive home unanswered questions, the State should inform the population on worst case scenarios, namely, how many of its citizens are likely to be in intensive care needing ventilators should the disease not plateau as hoped. How many ICUs and ventilators presently exist and how many will be dedicated solely for covid19 patients?

What is the State’s plan of action, should categories of sick people, including those with social addictions, overwhelm the health care system? Also, will it be a case of waiting coffins for the elderly?

KATHLEEN PINDER

St Ann's