Week 3 and we’re up to 90 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in T&T. 51 of those infected came from the same cruise ship and that is considered an outlying situation. They account for the steep bump in the graph above. Therefore, the true figure is 49 with 5 deaths and 1 person deemed recovered. The figures are too low to make any statistical projections.
We’re officially in lock-down, like much of the world. Only those in essential jobs or on an essential mission such as buying groceries, are allowed to leave their homes. I guess most of the people living in my compound work in essential jobs because our car park is practically empty in the middle of the day. Apparently, a close neighbour has a relative who recently arrived from the States, one of the 1,900 or so who flew into Trinidad just before our borders closed. That family is going in and out as normal so it doesn’t seem that they are abiding by the mandatory quarantine rules.
I am now very wary of leaving my apartment at all. I have to walk to the far end of the compound to put my garbage out and I go armed with gloves (to open the communal garbage container) and something to cover my face in case I come close to a neighbour. I don’t want to pass anything on to them either, as I have been nursing a dry cough for over two weeks now. What have we come to? The idea of greeting others by bumping elbows seems so passé now.
The Minister of Health, in persuading the population to not go out to exercise, gave a graphic visual of a person jogging around the Savannah when someone 100 feet in front of him coughs. Those cough droplets can float in the air for a few minutes and so the jogger runs into them, thus possibly inhaling the COVID-19 virus. Yuck, even without the threat of this deadly illness.
The Chief of Police has threatened to temporarily close any enterprise, such as banks, food retailers, even government offices, if their policy to limit people entering their premises results in long lines outside the building. Some people really don’t get how contagious this virus is and the government is doing everything in its power to ensure that people stay inside their homes. When the lock-down was announced last Friday, what do these people do? They rush to Pricemart, supermarkets, etc., to do more panic-buying! And end up in a crowd of people? And the PM said that all food services will continue so there will be no shortages!
I don’t want anyone inside my home and I will not be going anywhere, unless I absolutely have no choice. I see that I can order fresh veggies online for delivery so I will try that, even though it means washing them all immediately. Last week, I did manage to go to Blooms who sell frozen fish and meats, and rarely have more than three other customers in their spacious Maraval branch. I got a selection of locally-prepared frozen meals such as callaloo, crab backs, mini-rotis, home-made soup and pastelles. One of my most popular posts was about the “bes’ food in de world“, and I’m well stocked now.
Remember to treat everyone who crosses your path as potentially having the Coronavirus. Also, take precautions to protect them from infection from you, as you could already be infected. Keep safe!
