'A fight for our lives, we are all soldiers now'

In a sobering appeal to the nation tonight, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley prepared the country for possibly more deaths and infections from the COVID-19 coronavirus, and beseeched citizens to “take cover” over the next two weeks to give us a fighting chance to save ourselves.
In an address to the nation, Rowley said the request of the Government, on the advice of the medical experts, was simple – stay indoors, stay away from as many people as possible, isolate and do not congregate.
He said the country was at war, and every person in Trinidad and Tobago was now a soldier fighting an invisible enemy that passed from person to person silently.
As of Sunday afternoon, the virus had killed three, and infected 78 in Trinidad and Tobago.
Globally, the pandemic, as of tonight, had killed more than 700,000, and killed more than 33,000, crippling heath care systems and collapsing economies.
Rowley said that while the elderly were particularly vulnerable to the pathogen (two of the locals victims were 77 and 80 years), he was troubled that in “we have seen in recent hours that children are also vulnerable”.
He said that good hygiene was the only antidote and until a vaccine became available it was the best and only weapon available.
“So please, let common sense prevail and let personal responsibility be your contribution”, said the prime minister, who likened the fight to the ones fought by Trinidadians in World War I and World War II and who are honoured at Memorial Park, Port of Spain.
Of the stay-at-home order he said “we have identified that it’s not an absolute instruction to every single person. If we are to continue with some semblance of life and engagement, many of us have to go out to ensure that there is water, there is electricity, there is health care”.
He said that in the war now being fought by Trinidad and Tobago, there were heroes.
“Our heroes are not the ones who today expect to have their names on memorials, but they are there. We as a people are grateful and must acknowledge the heroes who are in our health care system, the front line people, the first responders in every area who are there to protect us and they are doing a marvellous job”.
“Don’t make their effort be in vain” to told citizens.
He said: “You…simply have to take cover. If you want to exercise, I’m sure there is enough space in your home to exercise and to do things that will keep you exercised.”
He a crisis, some things have to be given up, he said.
“So from midnight tonight, essential personnel in essential areas will come out to do their duty. Non-essential persons, it does not mean that you are not important, or you less important, it is simple the mechanism for the response. The best response is for us to batten down, stay inside, don’t congregate, and stay away from as many people as you possibly can”.
He said “In this emergency, I know it is not easy to not be able to hug your grandparents or your grandchild, but that is what we give up to be safe and to be successful. If we are to succeed, we take the advice of out health care professionals who tell us how this microbe will respond to our behaviour. From tonight at midnight we expect to ramp up our response to deny the microbe easy movement from one person to another.
He said “Our ultimate goal is to ensure that at all times out health care preparations are such that we can deal with any situation that exists in Trinidad and Tobago at this time. We expect that in the coming weeks, that the situation will change, not for the better because the model shows that we expect more infection and possible more loss of life. What we are trying to do is to minimize those numbers by our response…(so) withdrawn and isolate. That is how we defeat this invisible enemy.”
He said “I know we are a discipline people. We have shown it time and time again. That discipline is now required to save our lives. As today has been designated and is being practiced as a day prayer, let us continue to ask God for his blessings, with the full knowledge that he has promised us that if we ask, he will hear and if we do what we are required to do, he will be pleased and he will do his part because we would have done our part.” Source:  Daily Express, March 29, 2020

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