PM stressed by stubborn citizens in covid19 fight

The Prime Minister has admitted the coronavirus (covid19) pandemic has taken a personal toll on him, mainly because some citizens still are not adhering to the Government's strict guidelines to prevent its spread.Speaking in a television interview on Friday, Dr Rowley said he is deeply concerned about the potential fallout from such behaviour."For me personally, it is very stressful," he said."I'm directly involved in the decision-making process. I am also a citizen, I am exposed to the outcome. I have family, friends in communities that are involved. So, it is an all-encompassing thing."Rowley said he also has to be cautious about the decisions he makes as PM because they can affect lives."It is an unusual kind of situation where the decisions are certainly affecting everybody."Most decisions you make in Government affect most people.

"This is one particular decision where it is in front of you and every single citizen is required, now, this minute, to be a part of it and that is where the stress comes in."He added: "And for those people who are not co-operating, you are living with this fear that if the best chance we have is for 100 per cent co-operation, for every per cent that is not co-operating is like something terrible is going to happen because of this."The PM said the Government will continue to focus on those who are not co-operating."We are assuming that those who are co-operating, we can take that as a given. But we are worried about those who are not co-operating, because of the consequences that can flow from that."Within recent days, there have been calls in some quarters for the Government to implement a state of emergency as a stricter measure to prevent people from venturing outdoors unnecessarily. Rowley was non-committal on these calls."If we have to but I still believe the approach of firm persuasion is what is going to work, and it has been working."He said he was pleased with the behaviour of shoppers he encountered on his Tobago visit. He was there to attend the funeral of his eldest brother, Mathias Joseph, in Mason Hall on April 2.

"I just happened to go to one of the main groceries here in Tobago and I was very pleased to see both on the approach to the grocery, entry to the grocery, inside the grocery and at the cashier, people were spacing out. I was very pleased to see that."He expects this compliance to increase.

"With every passing day, I think, we will get more and more of that and with the encouragement of the authorities – the Ministry of Health, National Security, police and the general sentiment among the public where a person could look over the shoulder to another person and say, 'You need to step back please.'

"When we get there then we know that we are as far as we can go."Rowley expressed hope the Government will make progress in the fight against covid19."We continue to appeal to the wider national community, and I must say that with every passing day, we are getting closer and closer to where we want to be."

He said fewer people are disregarding the social gathering restrictions.

The PM also extended condolences to families and friends of the six people who died from the virus."I know we have had some loss of life. That is not unexpected because in the coming weeks we expect things to change – not for the better."The way this is going to go, a very small amount of people would succumb, but hopefully the majority will overcome it. And that is what we are seeing.

"But every time we lose a life, it reminds us of how serious this situation is."Rowley also thanked health care workers, who continue to be on the frontline of the pandemic, "for ensuring that we are positioned to get the best outcome in a bad situation."