I finally made it to Maracas Beach, despite the rainy weather, to enjoy a Bake & Kingfish – delicious. We were cautious as the number of Coronavirus cases was beginning to climb. People wore masks to order their food but it didn’t make sense otherwise. Our vendor did have a sink available for hand-washing. However, we had to ask for soap and were handed a bottle, the contents of which had been so diluted that no suds were forthcoming. Still, it was wonderful to get out in the salty breeze and the sound of the rolling waves. Ten days later, all beaches were closed once more.
Since my last post three weeks ago, there have been 695 new cases reported in T&T and 4 deaths from COVID-19. Unique patient tests have jumped to about 16,000. During this period, the incumbent PNM party was returned to power, ensuring continuity in the fight against the Coronavirus. Yesterday I was shocked to hear on BBC News that T&T is now on the quarantine list of countries in the UK.
The rapid and exponential rise in positive cases has exposed bottlenecks in the reporting of cases, as well as shortcomings in the tracing of sources of community spread. The Ministry of Health has now added human and technical resources to these activities, assuring the nation that they have eliminated the backlog. They have also introduced a legal requirement for anyone tested to self-quarantine at home until their results come through. This after a woman travelled to Tobago while awaiting her test results, and exposed over 200 people there to the virus. This also led to many Trinidadians being stranded in quarantine for 14 days on that island. Tobago had been enjoying a high occupancy rate due to Trinis ‘staycationing’, but transport between the islands is now drastically curtailed once again.
The government had not even been sworn in yet (delays due to vote recounting) when the Prime Minister announced roll back measures such as groupings limited to 5 people, and gyms, cinemas, members clubs, in-door dining/drinking, and so on, to be closed. Other businesses can still operate but we hear of so many being shut for sanitising and staff having to home-quarantine because of possible infection, that we are virtually back at lock-down. Thankfully, the SEA exams were finally allowed to proceed with strict safety measures, so that children can be assessed for allocation to secondary schools. However schools will not be reopening (physically) until next year.
What has caused all these cases of Coronavirus? They don’t know, or won’t say. What is apparent is that the majority of patients are people in their twenties and thirties. Stories abound of young people attending parties without any care for social distancing, mask-wearing, etc. There are also rumours that not all positive cases are being reported. We even have a ‘resistance’ fighter who has been spraying graffiti protesting the restrictive measures and even setting fire to the Ministry of Health building. Bacchanal for so!
In the midst of all this, Trinidad is hosting the CPL (Caribbean Premier League) cricket tournament, as I write. The 250 or so overseas players had to undergo monitored quarantine for 14 days at the Trinidad Hilton Hotel and continue their matches for the next few weeks in a secure ‘bubble’. That means no spectators or any intermingling with locals. Of course, this was organised when T&T was enjoying a COVID-free life!
So here we are, in a second wave, battling to flatten a curve that’s pointing to the heavens. Hopefully, Trinis will behave more responsibly now that there is a real fear of being infected with this dreaded disease. We shall see.
