Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony yesterday said that the main reason for having special restrictive measures in Region Nine is based on the fact that there has been cross-border movement in the past.
The minister made this statement during an interview with members of the media following a handing over ceremony.
A number of persons have raised concerns as to why special COVID-19 measures are on that region as they have not seen any recent spikes in cases in comparison to other regions like Region Four. Data gathered from the COVID-19 dashboards showed that Region Nine has recorded 21 cases between October 4 and November 4 while 553 cases have been recorded in Region Four during that same time.
Dr Anthony in response said that the reason there is a restriction of movement in Region Nine is because there was previously a spike in cases which was caused by the region’s closeness to Brazil in particular and it allows the authorities to keep monitoring that situation. “The reason why we have put restriction of movement in Region 9 is because of its proximity to Brazil and we have had spikes in cases in Region 9. We have been able to control that now and we want to keep monitoring that,” he said.
The minister said that it is believed that with the restriction those cases can be kept at a minimum. He noted that there is a similar situation in Region One and those are the two regions that have been identified as having seen an influx of migrants over the past weeks and months. “So that is one of the key reasons that is still in place so its restriction of movement not a lockdown, a complete lockdown”.
As it relates to Region Four he said that there are a number of active cases in the region and the ministry has been taking proactive measures to curb that. “For example in Diamond we have seen a spike and we have sent in a mobile team that has been there for the last 2 to three days,” he said while adding that the team there has been monitoring the situation, conducting testing and even working with the residents to ensure that they know how to properly isolate themselves and take preventative measures.
He mentioned that it is going to be an ongoing effort to detect and manage cases across the country.
Meanwhile, when asked about the criticism the government has faced for easing the nationwide curfew to 10:30pm, he said that persons need to understand that there should be a balance between economics and safety measures.
“Extending the curfew whether we extend it by one hour or two hours, it does not mean that you have to stay on the road, right. So if you don’t have any business to be on the road, go home. So extension of the curfew does not mean that you must be irresponsible and be wherever you want, it just means business activities other activities are allowed up to 10:30pm,” the minister explained.
The health minister added that when persons look at countries that have had complete lockdowns and continue to do so they will see that those countries are now facing economic hardships with increasing unemployment rates, lack of access to resources, and other challenges.
“We are now trying to balance those two things, the economics with the safety measures and again if people are responsible I think we can do both but we need the collaboration, cooperation of everybody for us to achieve this,” Anthony iterated.
He went on to add that the coronavirus will be here possibly for a long time and he believes that until there is an effective vaccine, persons would have to start adapting and living with the disease by being able to take the necessary safety measures to protect themselves.
