Duke asks PM: Did you really have covid19?

Public Services Association president Watson Duke is calling on the Prime Minister to prove he had covid19, and didn’t lie about his infection as an excuse for a vacation in Tobago at the prime minister’s Blenheim residence.

In a press conference on Friday at PSA headquarters, Port of Spain, Duke said he didn’t believe Dr Rowley ever tested positive for the virus, having only reportedly had flu-like symptoms for one day.

“That, to me, this was pre-planned, they all (government) sat in a room and came up with…

“If covid19 kill a strong man like Cedric (Burkie) Burke – Sea Lots community leader – how come you, Rowley, survived? How come you kept (virtual) meeting often, and when we listen to you there was no shortness of breath, no sniffing?

"Did you have covid19, Mr Prime Minister, or was this part of a big drama?”

Duke said he found it hard to believe that Rowley, 71, who has a history of heart issues, felt no effect of the virus.

On April 6, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) announced Rowley had tested positive for covid19 after having flu-like symptoms on the evening of April 5, while in Tobago for the Easter weekend.

Rowley spent over two weeks in quarantine at the official residence, under the supervision of Tobago medical staff. During this time, the OPM reported he was taken to the Scarborough General Hospital for a CT scan and then returned to the prime minister’s residence.

He was able to continue to run the country and work as head of Caricom while in quarantine.

On April 20, after a second swab, his results were still positive. Six days later he tested negative and was subsequently declared recovered.