Transcript of a statement on the COVID-19 response
By the Honourable Santia Bradshaw, MP
Acting Prime Minister of Barbados
Thursday, April 9, 2020
[00:00:00] Fellow Barbadians. Since the adjustments were made on Tuesday, just like you, we’ve been monitoring the situation across Barbados to look at the response that many Barbadians have been having in dealing with the changes that we have been making.
[00:00:14] Like you, we are also concerned as a Government. I must say that many of the people across the country have been adhering to the physical distancing guidelines but we do have some challenges and in discussions with the retailers at a number of the supermarkets across the country, what we’ve been noticing is that they’ve been actually having some difficulties in being able to meet a number of the orders – whether online, whether via telephone or whether via WhatsApp messages. They have been coping, but there are challenges and as I would have said on Tuesday, there were obviously a backup of orders that many of them would have had, which has now added to the additional burden of persons being able to order through the respective mediums.
[00:00:54] As a consequence, over the course of the last 24 hours, we’ve continued our discussions with the retailers. We’ve put forward some suggestions. They’ve also made some recommendations. Those discussions are continuing and I want to give you the assurance that within the course of the next 48 hours, certainly at the earliest, by Saturday, the intention is to speak to the country so that you can make preparations both as shoppers and also retailers to know what will happen in the course of the next few days and next few weeks.
[00:01:23] With respect to the long lines that we saw yesterday and certainly continuing today at the various post offices across the country, I too am concerned about a number of pensioners that have been queuing on the streets. We’ve made arrangements from yesterday to extend the opening hours for the post offices. There are many of the post offices that accommodated persons beyond the closing times yesterday, and we do appreciate them for their concern for the elderly. But the numbers were simply quite large. And as a consequence, we extended the hours to be able to accommodate those persons today.
[00:01:58] I know that many of the persons a the post office have indicated that they will try to accommodate as well, the persons who were there today to ensure that pensioners are able to access their funds as well. We’ve instituted a system where we have additional workers on staff to be able to meet the demand. We’ve also ensured that at specific locations where it could be accommodated, we’ve taken the opportunity to be able to erect some tents because we know, of course, the sun is very hot and obviously we want to ensure that persons are still comfortable while they are practicing physical distancing and while they’re waiting to be able to be tended by the post office.
[00:02:38] We also have a situation where our banks, we’ve been responding to a number of persons who have concerns regarding the inability to be able to do deposits at the banks and I’m pleased to report that the Attorney-General, as well as the finance team, have been in discussions with the banking sector and they have agreed to accommodate the deposits for persons to be able to fulfill those during daytime and also at night.
[00:03:04] We understand at this time the difficulty that Barbadians are enduring as a result of the changes that have been made. We understand that this is a very fluid situation. There is no perfect solution. But I want to assure you that we are continuing to work together with all of the stakeholders to be able to find solutions to the problems. Barbadians, I ask you to just be patient, work with us, be respectful as you have been thus far, of the police, of the authorities, and simply to be patient because we are in this together. And the only way that we’re going to be able to find the solutions to the challenges that lie ahead is if we recognize where we are and what it is that together as a nation we all have to do to be able to get back on track.
[00:03:47] So I thank you and I hope that you go safely and enjoy your Easter weekend.