Government launches fund to buy more vaccines

Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley has announced the easing of more pandemic restrictions while disclosing that more than 50,000 nationals have been vaccinated for the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Mottley, who made the announcement at a COVID management press conference yesterday (March 11), flanked by her Minister of Health, Jeffrey Bostic, gave details of the government’s plan to buy more vaccines in moving forward.

The Prime Minister declared Barbados’ commitment to paying for vaccines and as such announced that a supplemental budget will be going to Parliament next week “so we are in a position to pay for the vaccines.”

She disclosed that a Vaccine Fund has been set up and details will be shared in the coming days. Pointing out that next week March 17 will be one year since Barbados recorded its first COVID-19 case, Mottley advised that as of 4:00 pm Thursday, some 50,621 nationals have been vaccinated.

The Prime Minister explained, “We expect we can turn the corner by having vaccines on demand for Barbadians, we will continue to treat the elderly, those with chronic NCDs (non-communicable diseases).We agreed to expand on the frontline workers, some people who said no before said they want to be vaccinated.”

Expansion of vaccination programe

She announced that the vaccination programme will be expanded to three new communities and will start to give vaccines to people in those communities to disrupt the virus from having a host, noting that the team is currently using a multiple approach to these matters. In addition, the government has agreed to expand testing for the pandemic with Mottley noting that, “Barbados is not out of the woods, but we are trending in the right direction.”

The Prime Minister having been touring the country, indicated that, “there appears to be greater compliance,” and thanked Barbadians for their cooperation. She observed that there is a great demand for vaccines, stating, “you can get vaccines but the prices are greater than you would otherwise pay. We are prepared to purchase outside those we have already committed to receive from COVAX.”

Barbados expect the first tranche of 33 600 from COVAX in the near future disclosing that yesterday (March 11) Barbados received 5,000 more vaccines from Guyana, which will allow for a continuation of the vaccine programme.

More easing of restrictions

Coming out of a meeting of the Cabinet yesterday, Mottley announced that there will be some liberalising of restrictions and asked all Barbadians not to drop their guard. As of Friday, the curfew will now be from 9:00 pm to 6:00 am.

See below, a detailing of all coronavirus-related amendments in Barbados:

• Sunday remains closed to supermarkets and commercial activity.
• Work resumes for the most part on March 15, 2021.
• What remains closed: Gyms, pleasure craft, charters, team sports/contact sports, squash, table tennis.
• Diving, golf, hiking, walking are allowed.
• Barbers, hairdressers, aestheticians are open.
• Restaurants can open up for in-house dining.
• Fast food restaurants will continue, but no in-house dining.
• No congregating around the bars.
• Transportation: 60 per cent restriction will move to 75 per cent, but masks must be worn.
• Day nurseries/daycare facilities will be opened.
• Meetings surrounding the arrangements for schools will be held next week.
• Companies must put compliance officers in place.
• Businesses may reopen but curfews remain in place.
• People can go back to work.
• The numbers for weddings/funerals/church service will now be 75 (maximum). No wedding receptions.
• People must be able to be six feet apart.
• No change in beach access.
• No change in exercise times.

In detailing the easing of restrictions, the Barbados Prime Minister made the point that the only way Bajans will get through this is if they stay together adding that “when we drop our guard, the chances of fighting this pandemic drops significantly” while appealed to people to follow the protocols

She also gave an update on the pandemic situation in Barbados.

• There were 19 positive cases – seven males and 12 females – yesterday (March 11)
• Thirty-eight people are being released from isolation.
• There have been steady declines recently in the number of new cases.
• New confirmed cases in the last two weeks under review are 520.
• This represents a 46 per cent decrease over the last 2 weeks.