Statement by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit on COVID-19 pandemic (audio)

*Audio of the Prime Minister’s address is included at the end of the article.*

National Address by

HONOURABLE ROOSEVELT SKERRIT

PRIME MINISTER OF

THE COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA

Friday, January 29, 2021

Sisters and brothers,

Fellow Dominicans

This week the total global cases of COVID 19 since the pandemic began surpassed 100 million, with over two million deaths.

January 30 will be exactly a year since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.

The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic has been devastating as tens of millions of people have fallen into extreme poverty because of the widespread economic dislocation it has caused.

Every region in this world has been touched.

The total number of active cases in Dominica as of today is 13, with 106 cases recovered from the 119 total confirmed cases.  The 13 active cases are all imported cases which were identified during PCR testing on entry and Day 5PCR test.

The Ministry of Health continues with testing for persons entering our country as well as those who require pre-travel testing.

While the roll out of various vaccines has been a cause for some hope lately – its full global effect may not be felt for another nine months when it is projected level of herd immunity will take place.

The projection of many health experts is that inspite of the developments with the vaccines – and inspite the difficult twelve months every region of this world has faced – the next three to four months could still become some of the grimmest days of this pandemic.

With new COVID variants showing up in places as the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, and now spreading to many regions of the world, the disease is expected to become more contagious and more deadly.

Without being alarmist, truth be told – it could get worse before it gets better.

Here in the Caribbean, the UK variant has already been detected in almost half a dozen states. And, there have been worrying spikes since Christmas in a number of our sister territories.

The current global profile of COVID 19 suggests very strongly that this is no time for any nation to let its guard down.

And yet we sense that this is a real danger of it happening here.

We acknowledge, fellow citizens, that in the last year we have called on you to make many sacrifices – and we have been both pleased and inspired with the discipline you have shown.

For all the challenges of the last year, your resilience is an amazing story that we shall tell for years to come.

But this book is still being written, and so we must not spoil the story in the last chapter.

After so many months of so many restrictions and the inherent limitations, it is natural for a level of COVID fatigue to set in.        We understand that there is an increasing yearning to return to the life we knew before the pandemic struck.

But we are not there yet.

The Government continues to urge everyone, young and old to adhere to the basic but important and effective protocols, if we wish to keep our country open. These measures I wish to reiterate:

• The wearing of a face mask in public spaces. These include on the buses, in business places, restaurants and in crowds of small or large magnitude, among other areas. We have observed that several individuals are not wearing their mask giving vague excuse that Dominica does not have COVID. This is not a good practice, it is unacceptable and must be discouraged. Based on scientific publication there is a 97% chance of one being safe with wearing of a face mask so please wear a mask and wear it properly. It must cover your mouth and nose.
• You are also encouraged to maintain a six feet distance. Again, we implement policies based on scientific data. Studies have revealed that for anything less than three feet, there is a 13% chance of contracting the virus.
• Maintaining proper respiratory etiquette is vital. This simply means that during sneezing you are to cover your mouth with a tissue or sneeze in your elbow. The best option of the two would be to sneeze in a tissue and dispose of in a bin.
• Avoid handshaking, and the hugging. Be mindful of touching any surfaces outside of your home.
• Frequent hand washing is a must. In the absence of soap and water then use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer of 70% or more is required.
• Avoid public gatherings as much as possible. The recent surge of COVID in other countries is due to social gatherings. In the past, the local cluster of cases that we have observed was due to house parties and social gatherings.

In normal times, we would have been preparing for another carnival season; the many activities would have already started, with scheduled fetes and parties all over the land.

Well, it goes without saying that these are not normal times.

It was clear for many months that any such celebrations this year would have been unlikely. In November, after discussions with many stakeholders the decision was confirmed; we had no option but to cancel the 2021 carnival.

There have been many requests from people for permission to stage social and public events, and while the relevant bodies will duly consider each of those requests, our natural inclination will be to strongly discourage such events.

The staging of one unwise fete could undermine all the gains we have made. One night of party could lead to many nights of pain and dread.

We have observed that in many communities there is music playing in roadside bars and these draw large crowds.

We as a nation cannot afford to take such risks. There is just too much at stake.

The sacrifices everyone made last year must be made to count for something in the long term.

We have done relatively well in managing the pandemic, and inspite of the loss of earnings and the severe economic challenges the pandemic has brought, your government has risen to consistently provide relief to the most affected sectors of the society. We have kept public servants employed and we have ensured their continued payments.

We have worked with the private sector to keep employment levels there also; and in the latter half of the year we sought to kick start the local economy by investing in such areas as agriculture and construction, and in providing breaks and assistance to local manufacturers and producers.

Our pre-pandemic ambitious agenda of empowering our people has been given some tough knocks this past year; but we are still standing, and we are still delivering for the most vulnerable among us.

The general quality of our health management of this crisis has also been among the best in the region. Indeed, in the world.

But both the threat and the challenges remain.

There is a saying that the darkest part of the night is just before the dawn.

Globally, the first quarter of this year threatens to be the darkest part of this pandemic. On average, more people are likely to get sick; and more people are likely to die.

We here in Dominica can limit this disastrous impact by maintaining our discipline and by keeping our vigilance.

There shall be no short cuts for a recovery that’s long in coming.

The issue of illegal entrants to the country has been of concern and this remains a concern.

One of our biggest weaknesses is our porous borders which makes it even more difficult. All our confirmed cases in the last few months are due to importation, and so the risk remains with the contacts of the imported cases.

Luckily for us we have the pre-arrival policy as well as a good screening system in place for travelers entering Dominica, which allows for any COVID-19 positive traveler to be detected before interacting with anyone.

It is therefore important that we report any illegal entrants and discourage our relatives as well from coming in through illegal routes.

When we encourage this, it leaves room for spread of infection in communities. If this happens – and we fail to trace all contacts adequately and thoroughly — then the issue of community transmission and consequently a surge will be inevitable.

And so, my personal pledge to every one of you is to keep your vigilance, and keep your discipline. To, hold on a little longer.

To do otherwise is to risk the possibility of an outbreak; It is to risk more pain and suffering and risk the possibility of us having to shut down the economy again.

Dominica cannot afford another economic shutdown. This will bring untold suffering in this land; it will force many people to slip back into poverty; it will totally undermine our recovery and set everyone back for years.

We owe it to ourselves and our families; to our neighbors and friends, and to this proud land of ours to guard against this ever happening.

Let is continue to do what has worked well for us.

Dominica should get one of the vaccines by April, and your government is determined to purchase enough doses to be able to vaccinate every adult who wants it.

We understand that there is a level of vaccine hesitancy among many people, and while this government will never make taking the vaccine mandatory, we however will urge as many people as possible to get it when it becomes available.

We have always said that the safety of our people is paramount – in both the way we have managed this pandemic, and in our attitude to the approved vaccines.

The global scientific community has worked well to deliver vaccines that so far have proven to be safe.

With millions of dozes already administered worldwide, there have been very little reports of any adverse effects.

Clinical trials have proven to be successful from the United States to the United Kingdom, from China to Cuba and India.

Dominica is working together with all countries in the region, through the Pan American Health Organization to access the World Health Organization approved vaccines through what is known as the COVAX facility.

We have also been engaged in a number of bilateral negotiations to get additional doses.

We believe if all goes well that by the end of August we will be able to vaccinate enough of our population to get the level of herd immunity that will make it possible to begin to return to what we may consider a semblance of normality.

But real dangers lurk between now and then.

This government will not fail to act to take additional measures, nor to impose new limitations, if at any time we feel that public safety is being undermined by our lack of adherence to the protocols.

But through the Grace of God, and through our collective actions, we do not believe that it will come to that.

The Government remains committed to exploring all possible avenues in maintaining and controlling the spread of COVID-19. However, the best contributing factors that will help us as a country in doing this, are the fundamental prevention measures that we need to instill or incorporate in our daily routine.

Let us also remember in our prayers the many people who have been negatively affected by the COVID 19 pandemic. While – knock on wood – we have not had any deaths here, there are many members of the Dominican diaspora who have had to go through the pain of losing a loved one.

Let us also pray for our sister communities in the region, some of whom at this moment are going through their most difficult stage of this pandemic.

We are one Caribbean family – and we are together on the forefront of this unprecedented war.

We have always, as a people, even in the darkest night, looked forward to the sunrise in the morning.

We the people of faith still believe that a joy cometh tomorrow.

I thank you very much.