Transcript of remarks by Acting Prime Minister, the Honourable Santia Bradshaw and Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, the Honourable Colin Jordan, following visits to various supermarkets and banks
April 15, 2020
Santia Bradshaw [00:00:00] This morning, I was joined by Minister Colin Jordan, Minister of Labor and Social Partnership Relations to visit a number of these supermarket chains, the banking institutions, as well as the hardware stores for us to get a sense of how exactly the alphabetical system was working across the country.
Santia Bradshaw [00:00:20] I am pleased to report that Barbadians are adhering to the physical distancing guidelines. I’m also pleased to report that many of them are also taking the opportunity to wear their masks, whether their cloth mask or other masks. They’re certainly ensuring that they have the necessary protection, but I was particularly pleased as I went to the various supermarkets to realize that a number of our front line workers in the form of our supermarket cashiers and certainly the persons who are packing and persons who are often behind the scenes have been very willing to come out to work to ensure that this system that we’ve put in place works well for Barbadians to be able to obtain the groceries and the necessary hardware items.
Santia Bradshaw [00:01:08] The retailers have worked with us through the system. We’ve been able to fine-tune the system for the most part and with anything that will always be teething issues. The reality is that today is not unusual because we recognize that people would obviously not have had the opportunity over the last couple of days to be able to purchase items and in some cases we are seeing people purchasing or rather their having full trolleys of items, which I believe they want to just stock up on a number of things that they didn’t have the opportunity to get over the past couple of days.
Santia Bradshaw [00:01:42] We asking people to just, you know, make their list before they leave home so that the traffic in the supermarket is restricted in terms of the numbers coming in and at a time that you spend in the supermarket is reduced. We are asking as well that you adhere to the alphabetical system. It has been put in place and I think it is working considerably well across most of the entities. You know, there will always be people who will try to breach the system but we have asked and I think we’ve seen for the most part, people are actually willing to adhere to the system, and I really want to thank those Barbadians who are so being for being able to comply with the regulations that we have put in place.
Santia Bradshaw [00:02:28] This is not easy for Barbadians. It is an adjustment that we are all having to make. I, for one, don’t like the idea of having to wear a mask, but in the circumstances, I too appreciate that it is for my own safety and it is also intended to protect other persons as well. And so I would encourage you to just continue to adhere to all of the messages that have been put out there to ensure that the numbers are contained, that you sanitize your hands, that you continue to recognize the physical distancing of the six feet from the person in front of you and to basically comply with all of the things that we’re putting in place to ensure that people are able to access the necessary goods and food supplies that are necessary during this period.
Santia Bradshaw [00:03:11] The retailers have expressed that for the most part because the public has been adhering to the alphabetical system, it has made their lives obviously a bit easier. I think they too like me, really wish to commend their workers as well for the hard work that they have been doing. I don’t think people understand fully, but, you know, the supermarket workers have been going in and packing the shelves. They have been working above the call of duty. They themselves have put themselves at risk in order to be able to ensure that the average Barbadian is able to access food and we really do owe them a tremendous debt in terms of being able to get us through this period as well.
Santia Bradshaw [00:03:53] I know that some of these supermarkets have tried to accommodate persons who during this time need to get fruits and vegetables. We saw many of them pre-packaging fruits and vegetables, making it a little bit easier for consumers to be able to choose what they want and I think that is a good thing because, you know, you need to have your oranges and you need to have your apples and you need to have your vegetables during his period in order to boost your immunity. So I think that practice is one that I think you should encourage. Some of them have even discounted the costs of those items because they recognized that at this period more than ever that we need to encourage persons to be able to have a ready supply of fruits and vegetables.
Santia Bradshaw [00:04:33] I think generally the system has been working well. In the hardware stores, we’ve had a situation where they too have expressed that persons are complying with the system. People are not trying to overdo in the sense of change or the large items. The systems have been working well in terms of controlling the numbers. We didn’t see the large lines on the side of the hardware stores as we would have seen at some of the grocery stores. But I think the general feeling is that the alphabetical system right now is perhaps a better method of being able to allow consumers to get the necessary goods that they need.
Santia Bradshaw [00:05:12] Many of the hardware stores indicated that people are actually spending and purchasing a number of items for the garden. And I think at this time that is to be encouraged, because if you’re home and you’re not doing anything, this is perhaps the best time to be able to spend some time in the kitchen garden and creating kitchen gardens in your backyard to be able to supply basic items for yourself and your family.
Santia Bradshaw [00:05:36] With respect to the banks, the banks have also taken very seriously the whole issue of social distancing. The lines were a bit long outside of some of the banks. I believe that obviously with the restrictions last week, many people are still trying to get a number of the necessary things that they needed to do. We haven’t seen the spike in people actually trying to get the electronic systems put in place. That is what they reported to us. And I think we need to encourage Barbadians yet again to really try to make sure that they have their cards so that they can access the machines rather than having to go into the bank. Now more than ever is the time to do so, given that the circumstances are what they are, but I think that the systems that the banks have put in place, as well as the supermarkets, are very critical in terms of maintaining the social distancing as well.
Santia Bradshaw [00:06:24] We saw a number of partitions get errected in a number two supermarkets and in the banks to protect primarily the staff, but also to protect the customers as well. And these methods that these supermarkets, as well as the banks, any hardware stores have been employing, I think is really to be commended, because we are asking everyone to really change a behaviour, change the way in which they were traditionally doing things and obviously practicing this type of behaviour, and clearly, they are embracing the changes that are necessary in this type of environment.
Santia Bradshaw [00:07:01] So I just want to again, commend all of our persons who are on the front line packing the shelves who are ensuring that people get their deliveries, the retailers, the distributors and wholesalers who are working with us with this alphabetical system to ensure that every Barbadian is able to access shopping on a particular day or a visit to the hardware store or visit to the gas station or visit to auto marts during this very difficult period.
Colin Jordan [00:07:31] I want to join Minister Bradshaw in commending Barbadians for their approach to shopping in this new environment. I think we’ve seen as she’s indicated the distancing. People are respecting it generally speaking, and I think that is to be commended. What I really want to speak to is the provision being put in place that we’ve seen for workers to keep them safe even as they work to provide for Barbadians. We’ve seen partitions put up to, in tourism sometimes they are called sneeze guards, but to create that separation between workers and customers. We’ve seen separations between customers and the cashier behind them and that kind of innovation that speaks to a care, a concern for the workers who are on the front line is really commendable.
Colin Jordan [00:08:35] Some of the supermarket management that we’ve spoken to indicated that they understand that they have a responsibility to their staff. They also understand that if there is a challenge with their staff, then the supply of the necessities to Barbadians would also be compromised. So there is a dual responsibility that they have in protecting their staff, both for the staff’s own safety, but also for the benefit of Barbadians generally and we also would want to thank Barbadians and Barbadian workers for stepping up to the plate for understanding their responsibility as front-liners as well.
Colin Jordan [00:09:23] One of the things that really was apparent to us as we spoke to the supermarket management is that there seems to be a communication, a dialogue between management and workers, where management is liaising with, encouraging workers, responding to their fears and putting systems in place that allow for their staff to feel comfortable in a very uncomfortable time. We are in an uncomfortable time. Workers feel under threat to some degree from the virus but what we’ve seen suggests that they understand their position, they understand their role in the country’s well-being, and they are taking seriously their need to protect themselves and so they are wearing their masks, they’re constantly sanitizing.
Colin Jordan [00:10:18] We’ve seen sanitizers at each station so that staff members are able to sanitize after interacting with customers. And all in all, we would really want to thank management and workers for responding in an appropriate way recognizing the situation we’re in and understanding, recognizing that systems need to be put in place. Some of these systems would cost and have costs but I think what we’ve seen is a recognition that a human being is worth the costs. And so the systems are being put in place and we commend supermarket management for doing that. We commend workers for working with their management to ensure that they themselves are safe but that they’re play their role in provisioning for Barbadians generally.
Santia Bradshaw [00:11:14] One of the concerns that was expressed by a number of the supermarket owners was the fact that several persons have been bringing with them to the supermarket, shopping bags that are not necessarily in the cleanest of conditions. As a consequence, there’s a feeling that obviously we’re putting at risk a number of the supermarket packers who obviously during this time have given their time to come up to be able to ensure that Barbadians have groceries and so we’ve taken the decision to ensure that the plastic bag operators and manufacturers in the country are given the opportunity during this period to be able to supply the supermarkets and the other entities that are open with plastic bags because we believe that the risk to the shopper as well as to the supermarket packer as well or the persons in the various entities that the risk will be greatly reduced by us being able to use plastic bags.
Santia Bradshaw [00:12:12] So those manufactures of plastic bags will be given the opportunity now to be able to supply the supermarkets with those bags in preference to the ordinary shopping bags that have been brought to the supermarket by a number of the consumers on the island.