THE CABINET HAS APPROVED A 5 P.M. START TIME FOR HOME CONFINEMENT ON SUNDAYS, EFFECTIVE NOV. 7 TO DEC. 2.

Fellow Saint Lucians, I speak with you about an important change to the protocols which will start from Sunday, November 7, 2021. Before I tell you about this change, I crave your indulgence as I share some personal thoughts with you.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the core concern of Governments around the world has been to ensure that the virus does not overwhelm the capacity of their healthcare services to cope. The steps that Governments have taken to contain the virus have not been popular as in the main, people feel their Constitutional rights and freedoms are being infringed upon. The idea that we should be confined to our homes when we should be at the beach with our families on Sundays or enjoying a night out with friends is always going to be hard to accept. Even the most liberal Governments in the world have been forced to do what their Constitutions require them to do in exceptional circumstances, to protect public health and safety. The policies they have put in place aim at achieving a delicate balance between personal rights and freedoms on one hand and lives and livelihoods on the other. Governments sometimes get things wrong, when this has happened, some have acknowledged their mistakes and adjusted their policies in the hope that these new policies will work.

I acknowledge that allowing visitors to move about the country even with restrictions, while the rest of us don’t have that privilege, is never what we intended it is exactly what we campaigned against is not right and requires review. While we were keen to give a little financial relief to our taxi drivers and workers at bubble sites and attractions, we do not want to create the perception of “two Saint Lucias” which a continuation of this situation will create. On behalf of the Government of Saint Lucia, I apologize to you for this oversight.

The Government has always been sensitive to the concerns shared by the COVID-19 Management Centre about the effect of the protocols on our mental health. Like COVID-19, mental health is an issue for us all. Consider the case of our frontline personnel who work 12-hour shifts and are being asked to stay at home. They too would like the same relief that the rest us are clamoring for. It is with these twin concerns in mind that the Government had earlier announced the relaxation of the protocols for Sundays, with confinement to start from 1 p.m., on the last two Sundays of this month. Our tracking data has consistently told us that high risk behaviour by a small, but statistically significant number of our people, happens on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons even during confinement periods. Despite their best efforts, the Police have not been able to fully enforce the protocols, because they are too few and too over-burned. There are those among us who willingly take the risk that they will not be caught by the Police when they ought to be more afraid that they may catch and spread the virus to their families and loved ones.

To remove any perception of one set of standards for cruise visitors and another for Saint Lucians, the Cabinet of Ministers acting on the recommendations of the COVID -19 Management Centre has decided to introduce a 5 p.m. start time for home confinement on Sundays, effective 7 November 2021 through to December 2. This change will also be applied to the time when cruise visitors return to their ships. This change is being introduced with the condition that the sale of alcohol on beaches and public places will not be allowed.

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has been instructed to take the strongest action to ensure compliance with the protocol, especially in high-risk areas. Cabinet is also considering significantly increasing the penalties for noncompliance with the protocols contained in the COVID-19 Prevention and Control Act.

While noting an increase in the number of vaccinations, Cabinet is concerned that our vaccination rate is way behind that of other Caribbean countries. This means that Saint Lucia is in a significantly weaker competitive position compared to these countries. The optics of this situation is also of concern to institutions like the IMF and PAHO, among others. We should ALL be concerned that our actions and inactions do not lead to a 5th Wave after the Festive Season. IF that should happen, cwapo will smoke our pipes. We should now be in no doubt that COVID-19 steals lives and ruins livelihoods. It is all up to us to shape the future we want.

Government can and will do all that it can to stop the spread of the virus. But Government does not have YOUR power to avoid catching COVID. Your health is first and foremost YOUR responsibility. Vaccination is the most effective tool we have live, work, learn and recreate while keeping COVID under control. The Government through the COVID-19 Management Centre will step up its engagement with key stakeholders to come up with an effective vaccination policy and strategy. I thank you for your attention and in anticipation of your full support when this change in the protocols comes into effect.