Persad-Bissessar hits Rowley for blaming vigils for spike in covid19

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Tuesday accused the Prime Minister of "wickedness and lunacy" for blaming the spread of covid19 on nationwide vigils held in February after the kidnapping and murders of Andrea Bharatt, 23, and Ashanti Riley, 18.

In debate on the State of Emergency on Monday in the House of Representatives, Dr Rowley had said, "the Opposition paid for/organised, night after night, thousands of people to do exactly what the virus wanted which was to bring people together during a pandemic? They organised transport to bring people.”

Persad-Bissessar in a statement said Rowley and his Government have proven that they can't do their jobs.

"What manner of evil mind will pray on Sunday and then on Monday blame vigils held for the brutal murders of innocent citizens to distract from the fact that Government has failed and has no plan to deal with this pandemic? It is lunacy that Rowley is linking the covid upsurge to vigils held three months ago!"

Persad-Bissessar said vigils occurred when Bharatt's body was found on February 4, and her funeral took place on February 12.

"The Ministry of Health's own officials have indicated that the covid spike came after Easter. Technical Director of the Ministry of Health’s Epidemiology Division, Dr Avery Hinds said on April 21 that one of the driving factors of the surge were congregations during the Easter weekend," she said.

She said Rowley had said the place to be for Easter was Tobago and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said 50,000 people travelled between Trinidad and Tobago at Easter.

"It was donkey logic of Rowley to think that restricting international travel will save us while simultaneously having porous borders.

"Rowley never attended a vigil but nonetheless contracted covid19 whilst in Tobago."

She said May's high death rate could have been averted if Government had promptly procured vaccines, like smaller nations.

"Keith Rowley must stop his depraved blame games and work with all stakeholders to fight this covid crisis. It is clear he can't do his job and must accept help!"

St Augustine MP Khadijah Ameen in a separate statement said Rowley's remarks were "one of the lowest the PNM had sunk to."

She said vigils were held with police permission and participation and under safety protocols.

"These demonstrations were not superficial arm-wrestling and deejaying events but a clarion call from the citizens for Government to do more to protect our women and girls from abduction, rapes and murders which ought to be taken very seriously," Ameen said.

She said if Rowley had known that vigils had caused a spike, why did he invite everyone to Tobago for Easter.

Caroni East MP Dr Rishad Seecheran in his own statement said vigils were in mid-February, and six weeks later on March 25, Dr Hinds had said TT was in "a low-level community spread."

However, he added, Rowley relaxed health restrictions on March 18 and invited everyone to Tobago for Easter. On April 28, Dr Hinds attributed a rise in cases to gathering and domestic travel.