EDITOR, The Tribune.
The Prime Minister is a man after my own heart. In the midst of the ongoing pandemic he is focus and relentless on getting the nation into a recovery mode. The economy is showing vital signs of improvement and more and more Bahamians are going back to work and/starting new businesses. Churches; restaurants and other social venues are gradually reopening. There are some who are calling for the reopening of schools, especially within the public sector.
I would advise the PM and the Minister of Health & Wellness to leave the schools shuttered for the rest of this month. Yes, we all agree that it is not a good thing for schools to remain closed after almost two long years. There are collateral damages being done to the finances of guardians and parents who are obliged to have a care giver/housekeeper in place; the purchase of tablets or lap tops and the burden of keeping the electricity on so as to power the devices and to have access to data. The students themselves have lost a lot of educational and tuition time within the class rooms.
The current available health and scientific data indicate that the virus, especially the Omicron off shoot, is trending down and hospitalisations related to the virus are also declining. In some countries around the world many of them are confident that they would have seen the peak of that particular strain. In addition new vaccinations and pills are being rolled out even as you read this. We, like others, are adapting to the stark knowledge that the pandemic is not going to go away anytime soon. That being the case, should we or should we not reopen the public and other schools?
It is common information, data based, that a majority of Bahamians and their households have yet to be vaccinated and may not even do so at all due to misinformation and any number of bogus excuses. My position is that when a nation is at war, and we are in a prolonged and unprecedented mother of all wars with COVID-19 and its half sisters. If I held political sway in The Bahamas, I would make it mandatory for All Bahamians and residents to be vaccinated or be required to take a weekly test in order to work; congregate or simply to move about freely; mix and mingle.
Some might suggest that this would be too harsh or possibly unconstitutional and maybe it would be so. The fact of the matter, however, is that we are in this all together and we owe a duty of care to each and every other Bahamian and resident. It is highly irresponsible for unvaccinated individuals to just walk and drive around without being jabbed once much less twice as is recommended. It cannot be left up to individuals to be responsible and/or safe.
All public schools should remain shuttered for another month or so. Alternatively conduct small classes in large auditoriums or playing fields which most of the schools throughout the nation have. A rotation system could be introduced where three days per week are allocated to two different groups of students who would be tested before classes and after where possible. Other than this we are between a rock and a very hard place.
ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr
Nassau,
January 16, 2022.
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