By Caribbean News Global contributor
CASTRIES, St Lucia, (CNG Politics) – The rapidly deteriorating national health crisis caused by the government’s disastrous management of the COVID-19 pandemic, has prompted the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) to reiterate calls for new leadership, in a statement January 19.
“The alarming COVID-19 crisis requires new leadership,” SLP Pierre said in a press release. This follows a previous expert examination that “the government has handled this COVID-19 pandemic disastrously. It has failed to put the health and well-being of the people first and foremost. […] The government seems lost, there seems no energy or capability to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is becoming clearer with each passing day that the only immediate solution is the removal of the government.”
“We must intensify public health interventions to limit exposure to this virus,” Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa F. Etienne, explained in a release January 19, 2021: “Our region, and our world, is failing to control coronavirus. In far too many places public policies are not congruent with the severity of the situation. And many of us have relaxed the control measures that we know work, which have helped us stay healthy and keep hospitals functional up to now.”
Relative to a solution-based approach to the COVID-19 crisis, the SLP leader has again advised the government to immediately take the following steps, to address its gross failure:
- Close all schools for one month to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus and should consult with all relevant interests in the education system, to plan and agree on the way forward for and after the resumption of teaching in the schools. Earlier this month, the UWP government reopened the schools even though cases were spiking. The government must consider all necessary arrangements for online learning including the reinstatement of the laptop programme.
- Increase the capacity for the testing of COVID-19 across the country by engaging the services of private labs with the capacity to assist with the control and management of the virus. The government has failed to provide the necessary support to our hospital and health infrastructure and now the health system is buckling under the weight of all the new COVID-19 patients.
- Rethink the policy on the opening of the country’s borders to visitors from countries where the COVID-19 pandemic is at its worst and implement the second test requirement.
“The government must not conceal the truth and provide full disclosure about the state of affairs in relation to the COVID-19 virus,” SLP leader Pierre affirmed: “This is dangerous as it is not in the interest of our people and our country.”
Saint Lucia requires leadership, responsibility and purpose to face the challenges of COVID-19 and the economy.
“Now is the time for compassionate, empathetic leadership in this country. Leadership which will take the right decisions to preserve the health and lives of Saint Lucians. A Pierre-led administration will ensure that you, the people come first,” opposition leader Pierre said.
