Statement by the Dominica Freedom Party on the Coronavirus Pandemic

DFP leader Kent Vital

Due to the virulence of the virus, the incidence of COVID-19 (the disease caused by the New Corona Virus) could greatly overwhelm the coping capacity of our health system in Dominica if we are not successful in adequately slowing the disease or preventing its further spread.  This is likely even if we had prepared as best as we could to treat people who develop severe symptoms of the disease. Given that likelihood, all appropriate international assistance that our country can access at this point must be welcomed and, in that regard, we welcome the assistance from Cuba and the People’s Republic of China.

As of yesterday (Thursday 25th March) according to the government of Dominica, there were 11 confirmed cases of COVID 19 and there were 29 persons under observation – persons who came into contact with one of the two initial cases. This can quickly become a nightmare for our country, as it did in China and as is happening in Italy and other countries. Since there is no treatment to cure or build human immunity to the virus at this point, the only weapon that the world has at its disposal is to slow the social spread of the virus in order to allow health systems to cope.

If all countries act in a timely and appropriate manner, the spread of this virus can be contained and ultimately the virus can be eradicated in humans.  To be most efficacious, there ought to be strict actions to limit the social and community spread of the disease.

Dominica must quickly learn the lessons from China, Italy, Spain, South Korea and other countries.  The Dominica Freedom Party believes that a lockdown of the Country for about three to four weeks in the first instance would be most useful in combating the COVID-19 virus.  While we would have preferred the government to act much earlier to significantly curtail social interactions even though totally precautionary, we the citizens must look past this point and do what it takes from now onwards to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, we encourage all to adhere to the current advice of our public servants to practice social distancing and to stay at home if one has no essential reason to be in public. But we further advise the government to consider the need to tighten the current, proposed restrictions including travel to areas of the country currently at the centre of the outbreak if.

We are facing a grave risk to the health of many of our citizen and the plight of our already- crumbling economy, and though it has become difficult to trust our government under the leadership of PM Skerrit,  we the citizen must do all in our power to support the efforts of the government to contain the virus where we judge these efforts to be appropriate.  In that vein, the Dominica Freedom Party will continue to put views in the public domain that the government is free to use, as they have done in the past.  However, as a political party, we will lookout for the best interest of the people and, in so doing, seek to expose any instances of abuse of power, the exercise of partisanship, and we will generally seek to help prevent our nation from descending in anarchy – an outcome that can emerge from lack of trust in the leadership of the government to adequately manage such a grave danger to a people.

As a show of good faith, we call on the Prime Minister and his political regime to desist from using this crisis as a political tool.  For instance, we note that the Prime Ministers statement at the press conference of Wednesday 25th March was replete with political intents, while with the same breath, he asked others not to make the fight against COVID-19 a political matter.  This approach is un-helpful and the Dominica Freedom Party ask that the PM to remove all politics from the country’s attempt to effectively deal with COVID-19, to include, containing its spread, attending to the sick without political considerations, and treating with the adjustment of the country once the pandemic has passed.

At this point in the fight against COVID-19, the DFP would like to make some additional suggestions to the government and the people of Dominica in that regard.

First, to avoid any chaos, the Ministry of Health should prepare and make public, a prioritization ranking policy for the care and treatment of persons with severe symptoms of COVID-19, including the use of respirators.  This is to prevent disorder in the event that the number of severe cases of COVID-19 outstrips the number of beds or ventilators available for treatment.

Secondly, we recommend that the government reconsider the intention to admit mild cases of COVID-19 to the temporary 30-bed hospital that has been established at Portsmouth.  This is because many of these mild cases may not require hospitalization and could recover at home, and hence should only be brought to the hospital if symptoms are sufficiently acute.  While admitting mild cases to the facility for observation may be feasible when there are few cases, it could quickly become untenable if the number of severe cases rises well above the admission capacity of the 8-bed intensive care isolation unit established at the China Friendship Hospital in Roseau.  Moreover, if these mild cases can recover at home without hospital admittance, then admitting them represents a waste of resources and yet would do little to prevent the spread of the disease.  Instead, we recommend that there be ongoing education of the public as to when to seek testing for COVID-19 and medical intervention.

Thirdly, we suggest that during the period of restricted social interactions and quasi-lockdown, that adequate attention be paid to the ability of the people to access essential services and food.  This means, for instance, paying attention to the ability of some persons to purchase food where they are unable to secure wages and where they don’t have savings or social support systems that they can otherwise access. Moreover, there need to be adequate arrangements to allow persons to access the supermarkets, food stores and essential services including medical services.  That may mean for-instance, encouraging adequate private sector organization to allow adequate supplies at village stores so that people can access these without the need for public transportation.  Furthermore, there should be adequate sensitization and preparation of the operators of public transportation with regards to the safe carriage of passengers to supermarkets or to access essential services. We are aware that some public transport operators are already withholding services given the fear and inadequate knowledge.

Fourthly, during the period that our children will be kept at home, preparation should be made to provide teaching instruction or learning guidance online so that children will be occupied during normal school hours. We suggest that discussion be entered into with the two major telecommunication service providers to allow this to happen in a sustainable way, without the need to place families under greater financial burden, without a high financial burden to the government beyond bearing a portion of the incremental cost for internet connectivity, and with due regard to the moral responsibility of these service providers.

Though we know that the economy was already under significant contracting stress prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are aware that the pandemic will have additional significant contractionary impacts on our economy.  We expect that there will be a need to re-set our economy – a task that the Dominica Freedom Party can help with.  We, therefore, offer our help should the government desire once they are ready to look at that aspect.  We offer our assistance because we do not want our country to decline to unrecognizable depths and we are willing for the time-being to overlook the politics.

We will make additional recommendations in subsequent statements as well as on our radio programme aired on Q95 radio every Wednesday from 8.00pm to 10.00pm and in our weekly column in the Sun Newspaper. In particular, we will provide recommendations on how to support the survival of small businesses during the quasi-lockdown, support for workers who are unable to work due to the quasi-lockdown, and on strategies to support business recovery in the aftermath of the quasi-lockdown.

 

Kent Vital

Political Leader

Dominica Freedom Party

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18 Comments

  1. mine
    April 1, 2020

    You are not in power so you will say anything.

  2. shrewd
    March 31, 2020

    I hope those commenting read the statement. Great advice Kent, particularly to shut down the entire country for three to four weeks.

  3. TeteMorne I From
    March 30, 2020

    You, and that unkempt look of yours. How can anyone take you seriously? Go get a haircut and look proper.

    • March 31, 2020

      There’s nothing “unkempt” about him keeping his hair the way it naturally grows out of his head, and nothing “proper” about changing yourself to accommodate some standard of appearance imposed on you by others.

  4. March 30, 2020

    In a time like this, I wonder why those people will not leave their negative products in their carnal mind.

    Mr. Vidal, what people need to read or hear right now is the sense of positivity, but you start on a negative note–if, if, if–this, that, and the other would not happen–right through the end. We don’t need this because it is bad for our minds.

    If that is the best you can do, please go away and come back during the election campaign of 2024.

    • viewsexpressed
      April 1, 2020

      Elizabeth (“beff), You need to be this intellectual by now. You would have elevated your thoughts with compromising words and thoughts. Get away from this illiterate thoughts of hate and idiocy. You just open your mind and attempt to analyse, comprehend the bigger picture as to what you say and what the author of this message said who is advocating thoughts to we the people to read, comprehend and understand fully that we can at some point carry this message to our family, friends, neighbours and others in the pubic who will need help in addressing “coronavirus”.
      I will read your messages, but you have to raise your profile to a standard of being smart. Do some research to help fulfill your messages that we are able to comprehend fully the context that it should be. This idiotic mepuis attempting to defend the failure of Skerrit and his rotten corrupted Labour government is not working. We all know Skerrit. He has failed us over 19Yrs and lacks maturity, logic governance…

  5. Dogs & Swine
    March 30, 2020

    ” My friend good advise but you seem to have forgotten what Jesus said here “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast
    ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them
    under their feet, and turn again and rend you” Matt. 7:6.

  6. joseph emanuel
    March 30, 2020

    Allowing “mild” cases to sequester at home may not be a good idea. Homes are often multigenerational, with young children and elderly grandparents in the same home or compound particularly in villages. Moreover, we are not talking about 2,000 sq ft homes in the majority of cases, and the risk for household spread is great. In fact it was a major mode of spread in many of the intitial clusters in China and particularly in Hong Kong, as described in the literature. Mild cases, unfortunately are a major source of secondary infections and propagation of the epidemic. The DFP may want to rethink that; it’s not got much scientific backing, although it may be logistically expedient. JMHO.

  7. KEN III
    March 30, 2020

    Kent..
    Please return under the ROCk refrain from advancing any slander towards this administration. Please and Thanks

    • viewsexpressed
      April 1, 2020

      Ken111, or Ken the VI, or the VIII< to be honest come again and tell us, explain to us exactly what the heavens are you trying or attempting to say to us that makes common-sense that we are able to read, comprehend, analyse and response accordingly and academically to you, with such respect. You have disrespected yourself and failed to say what is the message you really wanted to share with us. Well, it is not this script of yours and maybe you are the only one who may or may not understand what it is you wrote there. It`s really nonsensical venom, beff, scandalous and idiotic thoughts. My advice to you is be open and respectful. It`s ok to point out the failures of our politicians, especially Skerrit who has failed us. You must put to him as this failed Prime Minister, in the best way possible that it touches him that he is able to mature himself and address our government with respect not like a "Political Playboy", but with some level maturity, intellectual that`s obviously…

  8. Is So
    March 30, 2020

    AA resurrection Ken, there’s absolutely no need for your input since your party leadership Lenox Linton has already addressed the COVID 19 pandemic. Is it the Coronavirus that is getting to you or you have the convenient amnesia syndrome. Ken you invoked the name of Eugenia, so we believed you, only to betray her. Now we know that you betrayed the DFP to become the # 2 wing of the UWP, you fooled us once and never again. Don’t use the terminology DFP, but rather use the terminology #2 UWP. Since you don’t have the qualifications of an expertise or a Dr. to discuss the COVID 19 virus, I suggest you slowly melt like smoke.

    • viewsexpressed
      April 1, 2020

      Well said Ken. I believe that this “Is So” person, read your commentary and is moved by it. We should thank him for his comment and also advise him to attempt to complement what Ken did, that is really good. So “Is So”, come on, stop being unnecessarily critical of the thoughts of others and their commentaries. Let us see what you are able to pen. We await your commentary ASAP and we shall comment on your work in the most professional way. Greetings!

  9. Calibishie Warrior
    March 30, 2020

    A commendable statement .. Thanks

    • Man bites dogs
      March 30, 2020

      Rubbish that guy is the other half of Linton, Vital don’t even know which jokers party he belongs to 🤔🤔🤣🤣🥃

  10. March 30, 2020

    Kent, stopping playing politics and help the situation. That is what they are doing in other countries – lending a helping hand.

    • Anonymous
      March 30, 2020

      He’s offering to help. Did you not read?

  11. Dominica first
    March 30, 2020

    Kent and the DFP, thanks for offering help and your party very reasonable recommendations. This is the DFP , we all knew, please keep it up and continue to offer assistance and if the Government refused to work with your party the people of Dominica cannot say anything negative about you. Therefore, your chances will be significantly increase to form the next Government.
    Good vibes from you.

    • Economist
      March 31, 2020

      Ah Ah! Ken commenting under his own post man. What a thing

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