While much discussion has been circulating around the matter of the lawfulness of the State of Emergency, a topic that is clearly within my professional and business competence, I have remained silent in public for the simple reason that I believe that some sort of state intervention is necessary in the existing circumstances. This is not to be interpreted to mean that I accept that the actions of Khief and his gang to be lawful or that I in any way agree with the details of the measures employed.
For one example, I am of the view that no or no adequate provisions have been made to cater for the livelihood of thousands of our citizens who depend on agriculture for a living. The thousands who toil everyday to bring and supply agricultural products to the consumers, and yet are not considered as “essential” to our economy in this time of crisis. I read the regulations of March 30th and I was taken aback! I said to myself, “My God! Are we living in New York? What about the fishermen and the farmers?”
My conclusion is that in spite of all the lip service that has been paid to the agriculture and fishing industries, there is no one in this administration of Khief that cares about the average worker and the poor people of Grenada. They don’t care about agriculture!
They don’t care about the fisherfolk! In answer to a question in a media briefing the police said the fishermen cannot go out to fish. In answer to another question the police tried to make a “side exception” for people who have to tend animals and “nurseries”.
How many thousands of pounds of agricultural products have gone to waste over the last few weeks? There is no plan or scheme to compensate the farmers and vendors as a result of the orders. This would only have provided good and affordable support to the diet of our people who are being ordered to stay at home. The tone and words employed in these briefings is yet another issue for another discourse. Khief and his gang have made no provisions at all for farmers and our agriculture, which will always be the backbone of our economy. On the contrary, Dominica, which has a similar economy to ours has listed as essential services: “grocery, agricultural, fisheries or pharmaceutical services” in one group.
Hence, farmers and fisherfolk can travel about doing their business to provide food for the nation. All the talk from Khief about self-sufficiency and local production was all empty, heartless lies and mamaguy by a master of deception. When the chips are down, then the true nature of the man is revealed for all to see. When this crisis ends the reality is that our local agricultural production will be literally on the backfoot and our food imports will only increase.
In Khief’s group, there is clearly a lack of understanding, a lack of heart, a lack of concern, and a lack of capability to plan for our nation’s wellbeing. Added to that, there is a clear intention to distort the truth and to disseminate misleading information to the Grenadian public in order to give a false sense of security that the situation is under control. Let me say from the offset that it is my view that if persons are told the truth then they would be in a better position to protect themselves.
How can you tell me out of one side of your mouth that this is a national emergency and we must all come together to find solutions and out of the other side of your mouth a few minutes later you blatantly refuse to even listen to a question from an individual that you claim had “insulted” you some time before? How can you then seek to justify your action by saying that you don’t care to hear from “activists” at all? But you are the emissary of Khief and he will say that it’s not him but you who said that!
However, I am deeply puzzled by 2 mindboggling examples of a complete lack of scientific appreciation and lack of simple common sense by those who are supposed to be handling this crisis which they say is serious enough to take us back to the experience of the October 1983 lock down of the entire nation. The only thing missing from the speech of the minister of health was the threat to “shoot on sight”. The tone
was identical! It was like an order of martial law!
The first confirmed case of COVID-19
After many weeks of anticipation and fear while news circulated about the landing of several early morning private jets from mainland China, the origin of the virus, the first confirmed case of the virus was announced. It was said to be a lady who came in from the UK on an international flight. We were not told the number of other persons who were on that flight but we were assured about the “contact tracing”, whatever that means to the minister, and that the situation was under control.
A few days later we were told that several other persons had been infected by that “patient zero”. To date we have not been informed about the results of the contact tracing, but I am told that a day or so after the flight landed with patient zero, several persons on that flight had been seen freely mingling with members of the
community, one was even seen marshalling a bread van and selling bread in the neighborhood. Then, quite alarmingly, we were told by health officials that patient zero had been hospitalized, treated, stabilized and released, whatever that means.
Up to today’s date, Grenada has not reported to the international community that a single confirmed case has recovered. It means then that patient zero had not recovered when she was released by our health officials. But this is our very first confirmed case and one would have thought that we would have been interested in a few things:
- Official isolation of that person to ensure that she does not spread the infection to additional persons;
- Continuous monitoring of the patient in order to learn a few things about the virus. (Then again, Khief and his gang has invested little or nothing in the health sector, worse yet in laboratory and testing services. Dominica and St. Lucia can do their own testing but not Great Grenada with a growing economy)
- An exhaustive campaign of investigation and follow up follow up to identify, test and isolate person with whom patient zero had been in contact;
- Given the size of the community, it would only have helped if the identity of the person was revealed, in the absence of effective tracing by the authorities, so that persons who came in contact with the lady whether on the plane or otherwise would seek assistance.
The 3rd point may be controversial, but our health officials cannot even fairly mention the question of privacy and secrecy when they publicly named the hotel where the woman stayed in Grenada, who subsequently tested positive for the virus in St. Lucia.
We must act even-handedly! Was the identity of the lady concealed because she is from the North West St. George Constituency?
So, the health officials have confessed that they released into the community a person who they had confirmed as infected by the virus at a time when they could not say that the said person had recovered. To me, this is heartless and very careless. Their excuse is that they were following WHO and PAHO guidelines. Guidelines are only there to guide.
Guidelines are not orders but are meant to be used with a pinch of old fashioned common sense, if you please! It is now accepted that about 25% of persons who test positive for the virus show little or no symptoms at all! So, these persons will be out there spreading the infection to others who may then become sick or even die while they themselves show no effects from the virus.
All the more reason for Khief and his gang to just tell Grenadians the truth and reason with us rather than trying to order us around. We are not stupid! If we are told that the person next to us might be a carrier of the virus and not show any symptoms, we will take whatever action necessary to protect ourselves. After all, self-preservation is still our No.1 instinct. DO NOT LIE TO US!
The COVID-19 patient who escaped
We were told by the minister of health that the “team” is working “tirelessly” on our behalf to secure the nation from this threat. We were told by the minister of health that persons who tested positive were “under intense surveillance”. The minister flatly refused to disclose any details about the type of surveillance even when asked specifically by a news reporter.
Now we are understanding that one of the 9 persons who at the time had tested positive for the virus has been allowed to board an international flight which left the country. What is the real truth in this matter? If it is true that this person has left, it is inconceivable that the local authorities would not have known of it and sanctioned it in the circumstances.
Is it the truth then that there is no system of surveillance in place and certainly no intense surveillance by the “team”?
Right now, as a Grenadian, I am shocked by this news and, believe me, I will not even think of coming out of my curfew, isolation or whatever, in the circumstances until we have a thorough investigation and a full and frank explanation given to the Grenadian people. Frankly, we deserve better from our public officials. Maybe this is fake news to convince Grenadians to stay at home due to the peril that is out there on account of infected persons that are not being monitored at all. HOW ELSE CAN THIS BE EXPLAINED?
Then look again at the damage this news is doing to the reputation of our country in the midst of this crisis. The entire world will look upon us as real jokers. Imagine that the entire population of Grenada is put on 24-hour lock down, whether we are infected or not, while a person who you know is infected can move about and even board an international flight from our only airport. Maybe Grenadians may take this lightly but imagine how it would be taken in those countries where hundreds of people are dying daily!
My conclusion is that the persons who ought to be in self isolation and under 24-hour curfew are Khief and his gang, who up to now have been completely mishandling and bungling the COVID-19 response on all fronts. Maybe they should isolate themselves completely and permanently from anything concerned with “running” this country.
(Cajeton Hood is an attorney-at-law and served as Attorney General in the 2013-18 period of the New National Party government of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell)