Svg gov’t hides truth behind corona virus

Editor: One misconception is that people are starving due to the pandemic in other countries, this is completely untrue. In fact, a negative impact of the corona virus is weight gain due to binge eating. Please feed the people within the country who haven’t been able to afford meals long before this pandemic and are made worse by it. Instead of saying “Sun brighten stone” (I’m still yet to see an intelligent stone or rock) a better colloquial saying is “sweep your own front yard before sweeping your neighbors.”

Having a barely recognizable trade – export sector and a miniscule tourism sector makes St Vincent and the Grenadines a largely import trade economy, which means that it will likely have far less economic contraction generally (since there isn’t much to contract to begin with as a smaller economy) than many of the other neighboring countries for which these sectors account for a much more significant portion of their GDP during this corona virus pandemic.

The initial request for proper border control with protocols for the quarantine of returning citizens (repatriation) was not a cry for a complete lock-down of the economy of St Vincent and the Grenadines as suggested by the government. Effective border controls would have led to the absolute prevention of the corona virus from entering and or spreading within the country, which can only enter through travel either by tourists or returning citizens. Such an early response would have insulated and protected the country and it citizens thoroughly, with the impact on the economy being limited only to the tourism sector. Instead the failure to secure the country’s borders allowed for the entry and spread of the corona virus causing mass hysteria, unemployment across many sectors beyond tourism, including agriculture, fishery, private sectors or independent businesses, even public sector and has thrown the country into utter chaos.

Despite the relatively small number of cases, not as a result of great management, but more or less a result of other countries’ border control, travel being grounded and tourism coming to a halt globally for the safety and security of other countries and their respective citizens. Couple that with the natural recoveries of persons with positive corona virus cases, was touted as having great management, fast response, a great healthcare system and a strong economy, all of which are false.

Being that there has been no cure for the corona virus as yet, natural recovery is the ONLY cure. Low cases of Covid-19 and natural recoveries by no means equates to the insinuation of having a great healthcare system. For instance, let’s say someone needs a brain or open heart surgery. People with serious medical conditions in St Vincent and the Grenadines still need to travel or be flown out to other countries for treatment.

These circumstances mentioned above, NONE are the recipe for success or the model for which other Caribbean islands or any country should follow. The same is true for saying “I have the best and fastest car, but it’s the only car I’ve ever driven and it was also made in 2001”. You can’t possibly know if you’re driving the best or fastest car if you’ve never driven any other cars or if its outdated. Even if you were to be the best by default is not a technically sound accomplishment or successful model.

Vincent Shona