![]() Scenes resembling legions of Orks stampeding across a Tolkienian battlefield for the nearest KFC come to mind. It remains to be seen what an easing of restrictions will look like. The same could have been done for covid19. This campaign was pre-internet and yet it stuck in my head. There were signs, billboards and newspaper, television and radio ads. Many people of my generation and older likely remember the Chase Charlie Away anti-littering campaign. ![]() It’s not that we don’t have the experience or capability to do better. A daily news conference does not a public education campaign make. That’s why social assistance programmes and support for those who didn’t have the luxury of chilling at home are critical.įrom a communications standpoint, covid19 safety messaging remains sparse. The reasons are too complex to explore here, but for many of our citizens, simply staying at home was not an option. It’s important to note that not everyone flouting public safety recommendations were being wilfully stubborn. Too many people were leaving their homes for non-essential activities, gathering in groups and practising social nearness without masks. These are changes that didn’t happen in the way we needed during the lockdown. In TT, it’s critical that we craft and roll out a robust public education campaign to prod behavioural changes to keep TT safe. That means we must continue to behave like we’re being stalked by the virus for a while. We’re looking at 12 to 18 months for a safe, effective vaccine. I thought it might be useful to humbly offer some considerations. They’ve been given until the end of May to complete their report. A committee was established, albeit belatedly, to plot a post-covid19 roadmap. Thankfully, the Prime Minister sees things differently to his Health Minister. What non-coolaid drinkers have been asking is, what’s the plan? We can’t have a conversation about life after lockdown after the lockdown. No one, no person who should be taken seriously anyway, was proposing premature abandonment of the lockdown. Lifting restrictions, he opines, would slingshot us right back to the “stone ages,” or worse, the geezan-ages. Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says it’s too soon to talk about reopening the country. ![]() Just as important was using the lockdown to plan and prepare for a gradual and safe return to an existence forevermore overshadowed by the omnipresence of the coronavirus. It was intended to prevent healthcare systems from being overwhelmed and reduce the spread of the virus by limiting social interactions. The largely untold truth is, sequestration was supposed to be a time-buying gambit. After that date, the coronavirus will presumably have lost interest and moved on. Many were seduced by the idea that #stayathome is the remedy for covid19. There seems to be a prevailing vibe that on April 30, it’s back to bedlam. They weren’t wearing masks because 3M has yet to develop a mask through which you can drink Guinness. Four non-essential looking yutes sat close together. LAST WEEK, while out foraging for edible mushrooms, shrubs and roadkill, I came across a small group of young people parked on the banks of a picturesque box drain. ![]()
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