Opinion Are the restriction measures still in force? |19 January 2021

Are the restriction measures still in force? It seems the answer is yes for some, when technically it should be NO…

Remember the series of strict measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-10) introduced by the government first came into force on January 3, 2021 and were intended for 10 days until January 13, but since the number of cases continued to increase they were extended until January 28, 2021.

But going around streets in Victoria, beaches in districts since last Friday one could notice a lot more people socialising. So, instead of dispersing, they are assembling. And this is a very disturbing situation, as just yesterday 41 cases of Covid were registered. Although we can argue that it is a positive to detect cases, at the same time it does not send out a good message.

In last week’s piece I asked if Seychelles had declared a war against Covid-19?

I posed the question after the country started the robust vaccination campaign which will see Seychelles become the first country in the world to vaccinate at least 70% of its population over 18 years old.

And I added: “If the answer is yes, then for us to win this war, we must all follow the guidelines given by the Ministry of Health.”

But since Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Sylvestre Radegonde and Health Minister Peggy Vidot announced on January 14 that the country will reopen its border to international travellers from any country, with immediate effect after almost a year of travel restrictions, whereby only visitors from approved countries were allowed into the country, the mood has changed in the country. People have started to drop their guards as they believe we are safe when it is not the case.

We all understand that we need to get the country’s economy back on its feet as we are being told that we are in the RED after the government recorded an estimated deficit of R4.5 billion for 2020.

But is it a good decision to reopen the country’s borders when the people prefer not to play by the rules, ignoring the call to follow the health guidelines of the Covid-19 pandemic?

We have been told that during the first phase of the relaxation of entry, applicable from now up to mid-March, visitors entering Seychelles will only be required to produce documents certifying that they have been vaccinated, with a minimum of two weeks since they received the second dose. Visitors must show proof of a valid negative PCR test 72 hours before travelling.

Isn’t this suicidal when the vaccination programme has only just started in Seychelles and World Health Organisation (WHO) chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said last week that herd immunity to the coronavirus would not be achieved in 2021, despite the growing availability of vaccines.

This is definitely a dangerous gamble as the more visitors to Seychelles, the more our people will be exposed. And where do the Seychellois workers go after work? HOME to their families and they are likely to spread the virus, putting additional pressure on the health authorities.

Also although Seychelles values collectivism, there are people who believe in individualism, meaning they express their sense of identity and who they are as individuals. During the time of pandemic, this is definitely not good as they are putting others at risk when they reject rules and fail to follow the efforts by public health authorities to bring behaviour change.

Another fact is since Seychelles has less than three months ago been through general elections, the country is still divided politically, and therefore it is very likely that people are less likely to trust advice from the other side.

Remember, the country has recorded a second coronavirus-related (Covid-19) death within 13 days.

Do we want to see more people lose their lives?

The health system is overwhelmed and a number of health workers have themselves contracted the virus. Who will be taking care of the sick when the health workers are themselves in convalescence?

Let us be more reasonable and do what is best for Seychelles and its people.

Gerard Govinden