Business chambers, almost in unison, have expressed concern that there could be another lockdown if the current spike in COVID-19 cases continues.
Many businesses, including bars, cinemas, restaurants, gyms and even malls, have only recently been allowed to reopen their doors, bringing relief to thousands of workers who were unemployed in the months of the lockdown.
In just the first ten days of November, however, this country has seen over 3,000 new cases and over 100 deaths - taking the overall death toll to a stunning 1,806 people. Hospitals dedicated to treating patients are full, with the sad statistic that 93.1 per cent of those hospitalised are unvaccinated.
This is the grim reality is facing Trinidad and Tobago just one month before Christmas and 50 days shy of the end of the year.
2021 has been a year of highs and lows in this country. As COVID ravaged in the early part of the year things seemed hopeless, with the Government then unable to deliver on the promise of vaccines. By April, however, we were in a better place as the vaccine rollout began and as we head to mid-November, we are in the enviable position of having a range of vaccines but with the uptake of them still at undesirable levels.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said last weekend that Government has no intention of extending the current State of Emergency.
The reality is that currently, there is freedom of movement for most, as Forms 4-6 students are back in school, public servants are back on the job and generally, business is once again on the go. Truth be told, however, the statistics of the unvaccinated continue to pose a threat to any return to normalcy.
Only 44.9 per cent of the population (628,467 citizens) have accessed one dose of a vaccine, while 44.2 per cent (618,792) are fully vaccinated. It means in a population of 1.3 people, close to 700,000 are still unvaccinated. It is this group posing the greatest threat to the country. Everyone has freedom of choice but the choice of some threaten those who have chosen to give themselves a fighting chance.
In every country across the globe, the unvaccinated are the ones most afflicted and dying from COVID. The Singapore government, having also put everything in place for its citizens to access vaccines, this week passed an order that the unvaccinated must pay for their healthcare if they contract the virus. While the T&T Government may never take such drastic action, it is clear that with the daily numbers rising, some hard decisions will have to be taken to ensure protection of the majority of the population.
Right now things look bleak. T&T cannot afford to continue along this path, nor can we afford another lockdown.
Clearly, the messaging is not working and the day-to-day signs of the gravity of the situation are still not yet sinking in for some. However, the only way to ensure all the sacrifices made since last year to prevent a major health crisis do not go to waste, may be to take drastic decisions now to protect some citizens from themselves.