PMO

Transcript of the Address to the Nation
Delivered by the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, QC, MP
Prime Minister of Barbados

March 26, 2020

Goodnight, Barbadians.

Over the past few days, I’ve taken note of a very positive change in our behavioural habits. I know that there’s a tendency to point to a deliberate and misguided view, but the truth is that barbarians have, for the most part, heeded the call for enhanced hygiene practices, social or as they say now, physical distancing and general safeguarding and against the spread of the coronavirus commonly known now as COVID-19.

If we examine what is happening across the entire world and the extent to which this virus has permeated societies, including developed countries, I do believe that in the midst of our fears and our concerns, we should pause to acknowledge the maturity and responsibility of Bajans – our citizens, as we heighten our collective defense against this pandemic. I speak to you today against the backdrop of Barbados now having 24 positive tests for the virus. Earlier today, the Chief Medical Officer would have advised me of this. I would like to invite him now to update the country, given that the last update given by the government was on Tuesday.

Doctor Best.

Dr. Anton Best [00:01:28] Over the last two days, we’ve diagnosed three additional persons each day, bringing the total to 24 cases of with 19 in Barbados. And this is out of a total of 207 tests that we’ve conducted over the past three weeks. Thirteen of those cases are women and eleven of those cases are males. Thirteen of the cases are also imported with the majority of those imported cases being persons who are Barbadian. Ten of those cases were diagnosed through contact tracing and one is still under investigation. All 24 cases are in isolation facilities at this point.

Thank you very much, Dr. Best. And let me thank you also for the wonderful work that you and your officers in the Ministry of Health are doing for our country.

My friends, gladly I can say that our cases, therefore, have either been imported or direct contact of someone who had already tested positive. In other words, COVID-19 is not rampant or running free in our country. We, however, believe that the time has come nevertheless for us to strengthen and tighten our measures, to keep our COVID-19 profile intact and not to allow it to go ahead of us. Indeed, we are one case away from what we indicated to the country would be the threshold for us determined that Stage 3 is upon us.

Earlier today, the Cabinet of Barbados met and we agreed that we would declare immediately Stage 3 with concomitant steps now to be determined. I therefore asked the Cabinet today to allow me to address the country, and rather than us waiting until the 25th case has been pronounced, for us to be able to declare formally Stage 3 as of now, as I’ve indicated.

We have been working as a team to ready Barbados for this moment. Our stocks of medical supplies are satisfactory. Not what I would personally have wanted, but above the average of many countries. The truth is that for the last three weeks, the world has literally seen a disruption in its supply and logistics chain. Fortunately for us, the Ministry of Health and the rest of the government of Barbados would have started ahead of the curve, and therefore we are in a good enough condition to start this. What Dr Best did not tell us is that of all the 24 patients that we have, who have tested positive, we have not yet, thank God, had to use a single ventilator in order to be able to treat any of those 24. Indeed, for the most part, by far the conditions have been mild.

The reality, as I said, is that the world is at this moment scrambling all for the same items: ventilators, testing kits, swabs, mask, helpful medication – you hear every day on television. The American news cycle, you see what the State of New York is facing. We have adequate supplies of all, as I said, but yet we have still placed additional orders some weeks ago I might add, with suppliers on virtually every continent of the world and we will be receiving them on a staggered basis. This is important because in a very real sense, we understand that we may well be in this condition without a vaccine for quite a few months, and it is therefore important that we continue to be able to replenish our stocks as we go forward.

There is more than enough testing kits on the island, though. And I want to say this because that has been one of the unfortunate rumours going around. This government has not only received more than 600 recently when the last time we spoke last week, but 2,500 came in again today. And I can assure you that the Government of Barbados has ordered 50,000 with a requirement now for the Ministry of Health to order another 50,000 in the event that we shall need them. The same applies to swabs and ventilators. So please let us desist from forward and around these mischievous messages about inadequate supply of medical supplies. It is simply not true, and it causes unnecessary panic in our population, especially for persons who ought really just to be reflecting and resting and allowing us to get out of this situation.

Now that we are 24 cases in the grand scheme of things, some may say that that is the average amazingly low for our population and the thousands of visitors we process. And then there are those who may argue that 24 is uncomfortably high. However, which way you perceive it, my government is of the view that it represents a number worthy of this changed course of action to Stage 3 that I announced to you just now. Today, the Cabinet of Barbados also agreed on a number of other matters. In fact, today was the first day that we met through Zoom technology, ensuring that as a Cabinet, each one is taking care and respecting the physical distance rules as far as possible.

We agreed to other measures, including an amendment to the Emergency Management Act, which will come to Parliament tomorrow in both stages of Parliament, both in the House of Assembly and in the Senate. And why? The Constitution of Barbados allows us to be able to declare a State of Emergency, if we want to be able to restrict the movement of persons and to have other powers. It is the judgment of Cabinet, however, that rather than rely on the emergency powers under the Constitution of Barbados, which tend more to be associated with national disasters as well as in security or riots, we would prefer to amend the Emergency Management Act specifically to allow us to deal with public health emergencies.

It is against this background, therefore, that when the Act is amended, orders will be made by the Government and Proclamations by Her Excellency the Governor-General. The first thing will be to be able to declare a public health emergency in Barbados, which will then trigger another set of actions. Those orders will lead, therefore, to us being able to: 1) ensure that as few people as possible will move around over the course of the next few weeks.

As a result of that, I am announcing formally tonight that as of Saturday, the twenty-eighth of March at 8 pm, we will be asking all Barbadians who are not part of the essential services to desist from travelling around from 8 p.m. at night to 6 a.m. in the morning every day until the 14th of April. To be absolutely clear, the first day when 24-hour movement will be allowed for all persons again, unless further extended, will be Wednesday, the 15th of April.

As a result, it therefore means that other than essential services and essential services are intended, of course, to include the uniformed organisations of Barbados, security organisations, Royal Barbados Police, the fire service, the prison, immigration, the customs officers, medical profession and medical profession and caregivers, hospital providers, the provision of electricity, telecommunications, media and broadcasting services, the provision of essential transport, the collection, storage, purification and distribution of water by the public or any section of the public, the collection, storage, treatment and disposal of sewage or garbage or refuse, indeed, and regrettably the removal handling of persons and handling of persons who have passed away.

Those are essential services. Apart from essential services, there will be a number of services that will be allowed to operate during the course of the day. From 6:00 in the morning till 8 p.m. within that time frame, but the hours will differ. I expect the Honorable Attorney-General, Dale Marshall, to be able to address this along with the czar, Mr. Richard Carter. And then, of course, the Minister of Health, the Honourable Jeffrey Bostic, as well as the Chief Medical Officer, tomorrow, once the Bill has passed both stages of Parliament, such that Barbadians may have greater details on what will apply from Saturday night, 8:00 p.m.

But to give you a sense of some of the things that will be allowed still to operate. Of course, they will be grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants only for takeaway or drive-through, shops, commercial bakeries, butcher shops, abattoirs, the fishermen, the farmers, gas stations and then critical areas in the government will operate for those who are not working at home, critical ministries, and we will identify all of them for you such that you know that between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., critical government departments will remain open to service members of the public.

While there will therefore be some activity remaining between 6:00 in the morning and 8 p.m. at night, we are appealing to all Barbadians to please minimize the number of times you need to go outside. Persons have done well thus far. We can continue to do well if we hold each other’s back up at this very critical time. And this period of time can be seen by some of you as a vacation, by others as a moment to recharge, by others as a chance to read and to do other things that you wanted to catch up with, in your garden or around your house for a long time. But what we need you to do is to stay off the road as far as possible. If I were speaking Bajan, I would tell you stand in the house.

So how which way you want to take it, that is a clear message other than those who are required to be out there or other than when you need an essential commodity or food that is critical.

Against that background, I also want to say that the country has the food and the groceries will be open, so that there is no need for any mad rush as a result of the imposition of these restricted hours for movement, because in any event, they are from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in the morning.

I’m also pleased to announce that there has been considerable follow-up, and several of the initiatives that we have spoken about over the course of the last few weeks have been implemented, are on course to being implemented in a timely, efficient and convenient manner. In particular, I refer to some of the measures that they would have announced last Friday evening. Yesterday I met with the Welfare Department and the Household Mitigation Unit and the Ministry of Finance to give Barbadians the opportunity who depend on these services that we have not forgotten them.

Indeed, the welfare department advised me that cheques would have gone out on Tuesday and that normally people would not have cashed checks until Friday or next week, but we are asking persons to continue to cheque-cash whenever they can even though banks will be open during the period of this restricted activity in our country.

Similarly, we are now in the process of finding the best mechanism to be able to help the vulnerable families. And against that background, I really do want to thank the considerable people who are beginning to come forward offering to help the government, help as many Barbadian families as possible with respect to this matter of the support through the Adopt Our Families programme.

Barbados, has my friends from the very outset followed the World Health Organization approved and stipulated formula, and approach to the management of this virus. And in these stages, we have been very, very clear as we have gone forward, as we have now reached Stage 3, it would be useful for members of the media to be able to carry the country through these three stages again and what was required at each level.

We are also going to ensure that if necessary, we will make available testing at other locations that will be announced by the Minister of Health or the Chief Medical Officer, in the next day or two during this restricted period of activity. I am happy that over the course of the last few days, much of what I’ve announced tonight has been the subject of extensive consultation with our social partners. Indeed, included in that is specifically the range of activities that would be viewed as essential and those that will be allowed, even though not essential.

The Attorney-General will reinforce tomorrow night and when he speaks again that there is still always the possibility for persons to apply to Government for additional exemptions as may be necessary.

I want to make it absolutely clear, my friends, that in the matter of that 8 to 6 am restricted activity, curfew, the Government of Barbados is not playing. Law enforcement shall be instructed to apply and enforce the law fairly, transparently and without fear. All persons not falling within the stated ambit of essential services and not having good reason for being on the road after 8 p.m. and before 6 a.m. shall be dealt with in accordance with the spirit and the intent of the law.

It would be useful for us to note, that as of this hour, more than one quarter of the world’s population is on what can be referred to as a lockdown for their own good, for our own good. We have taken this decision, as I said, in advance of our stated 25-count benchmark, because we want to keep ahead of the epidemic, because as countries across the globe are discovering, it’s really impossible to catch up if new cases are constantly being recorded. So it is time to pause. Come down.

Barbadians, COVID-19 can only spread in our country if persons resident here therefore maintain that type of physical interactions that the WHO and other agencies have frowned upon, that your government has frowned upon. And I call on you, therefore, to honour and respect the measures we are putting in place to safeguard and protect you. Even as Parliament meets tomorrow, the truth is that we are going to have to ensure that not all Members of Parliament be on the floor in order to be able to have the adequate fiscal and physical distances that are necessary to be able to allow us to be safe as we meet to do the people’s business on this occasion.

I want to also say to you that if anyone or any family of yours is feeling overwhelmed or falling short of the vital necessities, for whatever reason, we will try to put a special hotline in place and we will try to help as many people as possible. Once again, the officials in my government will make known all of those hotlines, whether it is for the persons who are requesting immediate medical help, as has been happening for the last, what, two, three weeks; whether it is for the elderly who need particular attention in order to be able, especially those who are living alone or; whether it is other questions that you may want to have answered.

Against that background, I’ve asked those four persons, the Attorney-General, the COVID-19 czar, the Minister of Health and the Chief Medical Officer in order for them to be able to meet Barbadian questions, for them to be able to speak tomorrow night on the news, but to be carried by all media from 7:30 p.m. until 9 o’clock tomorrow night so that persons can email or call in as is arranged by the television station in order to be able to treat too many of the issues that may be of concern to Barbadians as we go forward.

Bottom line: Bajans have to hold each other up. I said it to you before and send it to you again. We need to be our neighbour’s keeper, our brother’s keeper, our sister’s keeper. We need to make sure that if you know your neighbour has somebody, you have a neighbour who normally would have somebody living with them, but they’re overseas for whatever reason, look in on them. This is who we are as people. And I’ve said so consistently. Life is not worth much unless we are prepared to lift up and honour and hold each other, especially in times of difficulty. I look forward, therefore, to all Barbadians playing their part; not just the older ones, not just the younger ones, but all Barbadians because we are in this together.

I don’t think any of us ever thought that the global community would be literally gripped in the middle of a pandemic in the middle of 2020, but it is our reality and it is our capacity to rise to the occasion just as our parents, our grandparents and our great grandparents did it before. My friends, I have every confidence that we will do it and do it well. But I just need us to stay focused and to allow us, as I said earlier, to follow the discipline and not to play – that this is time for people to go off on a tangent or to __ all forms of instructions, we have to be in this together.

On a very personal note, my friends, I want to share with you and I have told you always from the time I was sworn in that I will be upfront with you, the people of this country. I have a medical procedure that the doctors have advised that I should do this weekend. I’m going to take the opportunity to do it. While I am doing that procedure, the Honourable Santia Bradshaw will act as Prime Minister and indeed, the COVID-19 team will remain with the Honourable Attorney-General, Dale Marshall, dealing with the governance and the law enforcement aspects of it. The Honourable Jeffrey Bostic continuing to chair the Emergency of Operations Committee and the Honourable Jerome Walcott continuing to marshall as he has done brilliantly, the regional and international relations, particularly with the management of our supply and logistics chain, such that we can continue to keep Barbadians completely safe and completely provided for.

I know I will be well, but I know that some of you may want to be concerned. Please don’t be. All will be well. But what I will not Brook is not telling you the truth and not having persons spread rumours about it across the country. So, my friends, we have come to this point together.

I want before I finish to thank a lot of people and to truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Our health professionals, as I said Anton, our doctors, our nurses, our lab technicians, our orderlies, the ambulance drivers, all of these people, we take it for granted. But these are the people who are helping us fight this war and they are helping us do it in the most amazing way. You don’t know like me, that many of them have been working nonstop for over eight weeks. And I think that the people of Barbados want to lift you up in prayer, my friends, and to continue to encourage you to help us protect our nation. This is what you were trained to do, but the courage that is required for you to do, it is extraordinary. We salute you.

I also want to thank those in the supermarkets packing the shelves, taking the cash at cashiers, those in the markets, those who have worked beyond the call of duty in spite of all kinds of pressures to be able to allow Barbadians to go about their business as far as possible, taking the necessary precautions, but making sure that they can still add value to their day in a way that they had intended to.

This is our country. These are our people. Together we shall rise. Together, we shall recall has done on every occasion. The second verse of our national anthem, The Lord, has been our people’s guide for the past three hundred years. With him still, on the people side. We have no doubts, nor fears.

I will see you next week. Thank you.