It is alarming that in a country where the vaccine rollout has faced its own challenges, and where the death toll from COVID-19 now stands at 677 as of yesterday's data from the Ministry of Health, that we now have confirmation from the Commissioner of Police that citizens continue to play Russian roulette with their lives and the lives of citizens as they carry on, in local parlance 'normal, normal', as though there is no tomorrow.
At a media conference yesterday CoP Gary Griffith appeared to all but have had it with the stupidity of some citizens who perhaps don't understand what it is to lose a loved one to COVID. According to Griffith, "it is just by the grace of God that we have not had any major accidents or deaths because of this stupidity."
According to Griffith, in the last hour before the curfew, the roads become like a racetrack, "persons are racing,” they are liming with their girlfriends, their 'pardners' and they are "flying, racing to reach home before the curfew begins." The police will now implement more roadblocks specifically targeting these lawbreakers.
It is unimaginable that citizens are still being so irresponsible although they know the dangers posed by the virus and its variants.
How many front-page stories of people dying from COVID must there before citizens understand that the latest strain of virus attacks rapidly and not everyone survives. To drive home the point, the statistic is that 677 people citizens have lost their lives. Many others are on ventilators, in ICU and High Dependency units and many families don’t know if their loved ones will survive.
The lockdowns and curfews implemented in T&T are not unique tools used to curb freedom of movement. They have been imposed across the region and in many countries around the world. Is it so difficult to curb the liming and the drinking for just a little longer? The more the virus spreads and the more the numbers go up, the longer everyone's freedoms will be curtailed.
The time has come for citizens of this country to reflect more seriously on the national watchword 'DISCIPLINE.' What example are we setting for our children and the wider youth population when as adults we feel it is always okay to bend the rules and break the law.
No one is currently happy. Businesses are closed, families have lost loved ones, breadwinners have lost jobs and income and children are dying to get back to school. Yet the minority of stupid people amongst us continue to live it up no matter what, at the expense of those obeying the directions hoping to return to some form of normalcy.
Last week's mass vaccination drive was a failure. Yesterday, we received 200,000 more doses of Sinopharm vaccines but the reality is vaccines are not readily available for everyone. The Government has outlined a plan that may see rollout in greater numbers in coming months.
Until then, those drivers on the road before and even curfew must understand their actions are hurting every citizen.
Let's in this crisis just do the right thing so that we can all see an ease of the current restrictions soon.