Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has cautioned that although schools are re-opening for face-to-face classes after two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “we are still not out of the woods yet.”
In a statement posted on his Facebook page yesterday, Rowley, who left for Barbadoson Tuesday, said school children were returning to classrooms after almost two years of experiencing the “worst trauma, stress, and overall deprivation in their development.”
“The pandemic has made demands on our young ones that none of the rest of us have ever been called upon to deal with,” he said.
“We wish them all God’s blessings and guidance as they retrieve their development pathways. Our country’s future depends on their protection and their success.”
Rowley implored all citizens to remember that “we are still not out of the woods yet.”
“The pandemic is still a very real threat, and our individual cooperation is required to ameliorate its effects. It’s a good, long-awaited day. Let us acknowledge its significance and continue working diligently and responsibly towards even better days,” the PM said.
“Our children hold our promise and they deserve all our support. Watch them go. Help them grow.”
Earlier, Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly wished pupils all the best on their first day back to physical school after being home for two years.
Also using her Facebook page to send her message she wrote: “While some students were out for exams, along with the fourth and sixth formers, all students can make their way back out to the physical classroom based on the advice from the officials of the Ministry of Health.”
Gadsby-Dolly said it was time students come back out and socialise, as the past two years have been very difficult for them and their parents.
She expressed confidence that parents and teachers will be constantly reminding students how to be safe, how to observe the three Ws (wash hands, wear masks, watch distance), all of which she said “are still very important.”
