One year later
Imagine you went on a trip and when you returned to your home you realized that you had a rat problem. In fact, you have more than a problem, you have an infestation. You come up with an idea to fix this novel problem. You decide that you will flood your home and drown all the rats. Yes this is an extreme measure but it is the only way. The day before you flood the house you arbitrarily decide that you will give all the white rats little rat-sized life jackets, after all there are not that many white rats anyway. You flood the house and most of the rats die. However, a month later you are faced with an infestation of white rats. And now you have two problems, all your furniture is wet…and you still have rats.
I promise this analogy will make sense before the end of this article.
On the 12th March 2020, the first case of COVID-19, in Trinidad was recorded in a 52-year-old man who had recently travelled from Switzerland.
On the 13th March, a second case of COVID-19 was recorded in a 66-year-old man with an unknown travel history.
15th March 2020 two more cases were discovered, a day later another case was confirmed and a day after that two more cases. Two days later a further two cases were confirmed.
On the 21st March, forty (40) more cases were confirmed. Sixty-eight (68) Trinbagonians (I say Trinbagonians but we all know they were Trinidadians) had participated in a 7-day cruise starting on the 5th March. Why they would partake in a cruise when there was a global pandemic underway will remain a mystery, but some people have more balls sense. The close and sub-sanitary quarters of the cruise ship were a marvelous incubator for the virus and there was a suspected outbreak. The ship was forced to anchor off the coast of Guadeloupe for several days. The exposed nationals returned to Trinidad and Tobago on the 17th March and on the 21st March it was confirmed that 40 of the 68 persons had tested positive for COVID-19. This brought the total number of confirmed cases to 49. How 28 souls managed to remain uninfected after literally being aboard a plague ship is testament to the corbeuax-esque constitution of some people.
At this point the Trinidadian Government had seen enough. National Security Minister Stuart Young announced the closure of all borders to everyone (nationals and non-nationals). This directive became effective at midnight on March 22nd, 2020.
In the months following March 2020 the Trinidadian government instituted stringent measures to address the spread of the disease. In addition to the border closure, rolling lockdowns and curfews of varying scope and duration were deployed. Between April 13th and July 16th, 2020, Trinidad reported zero new cases of COVID and the Trinbagonian government was internationally recognized for its rapid and decisive action. We had, it seemed, beaten the virus, drowned the rats.
So why is it that more than a year later, on a certain day in April 2021, Trinidad, reported 171 new cases of the CORONA virus? Why is it that our Prime Minister has joined a short and inauspicious list of country leaders who have tested positive for COVID (Trump and Bolsanaro being the most infamous members of that club). Why is it that Trinidad has recorded cases of a Brazilian variant of the virus…Brazilian?! Why is it, that after more than a year of sacrifice, of injured businesses, lost wages, sacrificed opportunities to visit loved ones, relinquished freedom of movement, abridged freedoms of association, eliminated freedom to zess, curtailment of beach days, forgone opportunities for our children to engage in the behaviorally developmental exercise known as in-person schooling and even the surrender of our ability to play small-post football; we are basically in the same position that we were a year ago, only now we have less money in our pockets and more fat around our waistlines?
I am not a virologist. Brighter people who have dedicated their entire lives to the study of diseases and their spread have been unable to prescribe fool-proof measures to halt the proliferation of the virus. I also acknowledge that enacting policies which balance individual freedoms with the very real threat posed by the ongoing pandemic is not easy. But while I lack virologist chops or policy making experience I do have a good bit of common sense and like all of you, I have two eyes.
Trinidad’s borders are closed and pursuant to the policy for travel into Trinidad i) non-nationals may not enter Trinidad, for any reason, ii) nationals may receive a travel exemption, however such exemptions are only granted if a compelling reason exists for travel, if the applicant tests negative for COVID within 3 days of their travel date and lastly, the recipient of an exemption must be subject to government or self-sponsored 7-day quarantine upon arrival to Trinidad. If these measures are properly deployed it is virtually impossible for an infected individual to arrive on Trinidadian shores. In comparison to other countries, the measures implemented by the Trinbagonian government are stringent. Trinidad is one of only 50 countries that remain completely closed, hobnobbing with such auspicious company as Libya, Algeria, Angola and South Sudan. These countries have far less robust economies, healthcare systems and democratic institutions. These countries were also flirting with authoritarianism before the pandemic provided a pretext for the implementation of restrictive measures.
So why are we where we are today? Well, I have no hard evidence but this is an opinion piece not an investigative report so I will speak anecdotally. Anecdotally, there are certain people who have been allowed to exit and re-enter the country while avoiding the strict re-entry requirements imposed on the regular citizenry. Anecdotally, Venezuelan nationals travel between Trinidad and Venezuela with the ease and frequency of someone taking a red-band maxi to Arima (so much so that there are people who commute from Venezuela to work in Trinidad and return to Venezuela every few days). Anecdotally, there are people who have paid for negative COVID tests. Anecdotally, quite a few people who have travelled abroad and returned to Trinidad have not been subject to the “mandatory” quarantine. Anecdotally, some people have been allowed to party and gather and cough and sneeze on each other at will. Anecdotally, one set of laws have been implemented for the middle and working class and another set for the…you know who. Anecdotally, the Trinidadian government has simultaneously done too much and not enough, they have flooded the house but they have provided lifejackets to some of the rats.
And so, more than a year after the borders closed, more than a year since this author has been able to travel to Trinidad, more than a year after Carnival was cancelled; instead of a return to normalcy, we are probably facing the cancellation of another Carnival.
Half measures will not do. Trinidad has treated COVID the same way the Licensing Office treats the issuance of driving licenses. And just as a driver with a purchased license selfishly exposes every other driver to danger. So too the persons who have and continue to skirt the measures implemented to address the pandemic continue to prolong the suffering and mortgage our collective freedoms.
People of Trinidad, I want to come home. Implore your rulers to get their act together. And I mean that literally not anecdotally.
