Patriot games

THE ORDEAL of the 33 nationals who were stranded in Barbados is a reminder of the times we are in. It is no small thing to depart for a cruise then find oneself trapped in limbo, virtually rendered stateless and without access to your home. But such an experience, as trying as it is, is emblematic of the sacrifices all of us have to make in this pandemic.

This repatriation should not be seized upon as a sign that we must now relax our lockdown measures at the border. On the contrary, it is a reminder that those measures are needed and that quarantining of people who are afforded entry must be strictly observed.

In the context of the fact that the entire population is being asked to confine itself at home, it would be an act of cynicism to use this incident as an opportunity for political games. Rather, it should be seen for what it is: a testament to the powerful emotional ties we all have to our home and to the fact that individual freedoms must be curtailed if we are to protect our most vulnerable from the ravages of covid19. Several are discovering as such.

“There are many others out there who wish to return,” observed the group’s lawyer Prakash Ramadhar, the St Augustine MP. But the nuances of this situation demand that the State avoids adopting a blanket approach. Its responses to the various requests from nationals to come home must be handled on a case-by-case basis considering a range of factors.

Those factors include the ability of officials to transport individuals without compromising safety; the ability of the State to obtain an accurate picture of the medical condition of those involved; the availability of resources to marshal an effective response; the state of readiness of any quarantine facilities designated; the need for follow-up and surveillance.

All of this must be understood in the context of the overriding problems that still exist when it comes to this coronavirus: there’s still a lot we simply don’t know, and obviously quite a lot yet to be done to maintain the type of stability we appear to be experiencing as we continuously apprise ourselves of what’s happening in most of the world.

The government of Barbados should be thanked for its hospitality during this trying time. Barbados’ own transition into more stringent measures has, at times, been far from smooth. It was forced to abruptly close supermarkets, which led to chaos initially. But as of yesterday, the country had marked an important milestone, nearly a week without recording new cases. Still, the country’s covid19 czar Richard Carter warned that measures should not be relaxed.

“One case is all it takes to spark a spike,” he told Barbados Today. “As long as you have live cases in your country you have an epidemic that is going on.”

We need to adopt a similar perspective, as much as we welcome the return to our nationals.