The Tribune

IF people weren’t taking the risks involved with breaking quarantine seriously beforehand, then yesterday’s introduction of a hefty possible punishment ought to focus the mind.

In truth, people shouldn’t need the extra penalty – but we need only look across at the steady stream of people in front of the courts who have not been taking the curfew seriously. If readers have been following the cases that have appeared before the courts, it is remarkable how petty the reasons are for people breaking curfew.

There were the seven caught playing dominoes, there was the man who went to see his girlfriend but didn’t stay because she was “running on”, there was one fined $800 for going to get a cigarette. There are even those who protest that they were not aware of the curfew – as if it hasn’t been dominating our conversations and our lives. Ignorance has never been a defence under the law and it’s not time to start now.

Quarantine is a more serious affair – and a more serious punishment is now looming for anyone who has been placed in quarantine who chooses to treat it like those petty curfew cases.

Five years in jail. A $10,000 fine. Perhaps both.

“You break quarantine, we lock you up,” said Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

We’ve already seen the consequences of what a single case of coronavirus can bring. The BPL office closed down after it was suspected staff had been exposed to someone who had been in close contact with a patient. The 200 healthcare workers forced into isolation or quarantine when a patient at Princess Margaret Hospital unexpectedly turned out to have the virus.

A single case can have a huge impact – so if someone breaks quarantine when they know they shouldn’t be going anywhere, that’s the kind of choice that these penalties are meant to discourage.

Discourage, they should – and we sincerely hope not one Bahamian ends up in court facing these charges. Do the sensible thing. Don’t take the risk of five years in jail – because you shouldn’t be exposing others to the risk of the virus you might be carrying.

The measures come as the prospect of many more Bahamians in quarantine draws close – with 200 wanting to return to the country from the United States. Upon return, they would have to go into quarantine to ensure they didn’t bring new cases into our communities.

Some will call the measures draconian – but there is no reason to fall foul of the law, and the danger of breaking quarantine is such that it could cost lives, as well as risking dragging the shutdown of the economy out further.

In the ideal world, in six weeks or so, we might never need these laws again.

Two pieces of good news from yesterday. First, the daily dashboard showed no new cases. There will be more cases, that’s for sure, but every day without one is a victory.

Second, according to health experts, the measures we have implemented so far have reduced the number of cases by at least 23 – and saved four lives in the past week alone. These are predictions, of course, and subject to some leeway, not least of all because we still haven’t had considerable widespread testing. There may well be cases that just haven’t been detected. That’s not to cast doubt on the figures of the experts, but rather to encourage a redoubling of our efforts to find the exact toll this virus is bringing to our communities.

These figures are successes, though, and every single person who has abided by the rules should be commended. As for those who don’t follow the rules, take a look at that five years in jail and think twice before opening that door.