Pandemic fatigue leading to irresponsibility

Fatigue of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been affecting the world for over a year and a half is causing many people to throw caution to the wind.

People all around the world (except in places like India, where the pandemic has a grim outlook) who have become weary of the lockdowns, restrictions and stay-at-home orders are now beginning to cast aside these restraints and are venturing out of their homes and into groups of people.

While some places have lifted tight restrictions, like the wearing of masks and are opening up more social businesses like movie theatres and gyms (because of a high volume of people being vaccinated), the truth is, in some countries, the pandemic is still a major problem.

In the Bahamas, we are not out of the woods in terms of following suit of our American neighbors, where the mask mandate has been lifted in many states. The recent lockdown of Cat Island and Andros Islands, and rising cases numbers in other Family Islands reminds us that we are still in the fight against a virus that has killed over three million people worldwide.

And yet, the cases continues to grow in the Bahamas. With the country seemingly stuck in the middle of what is being considered a “third wave” of the pandemic, this little nation has a long way to go before we see “daylight”.

Over this past weekend, there were 129 new cases of Covid-19 in the country, bringing the country’s overall total number of cases to 11,579, with a death toll of 226. Some officials suggests that the numbers could be higher than what has been reported due to testing constraints.

It seems ironic that while the number of Covid-19 cases in the Bahamas continues to rise, the numbers within the United States are said to be dropping. Health experts in the United States say the decrease is due in part to an aggressive vaccination program.

Perhaps that’s why the government of the Bahamas has been pushing the vaccination efforts.

While whether or not vaccines are the “silver bullet” that will save the Bahamas from the further ravishes of Covid-19 continues to be a matter of “wait and see”, many Bahamians have fallen into a “pandemic fatigue” stupor.

All things considered, it seems almost inevitable that people would begin to tire of the restrictions that have controlled our lives for over a year. The Bahamas has been under Emergency Orders going on two years and with a curfew still in place for every island of the Bahamas, one can understand why many Bahamians have grown weary and cringe at the name “Covid-19”.

To rub salt into our wounds of Covid-19 fatigue, Bahamians who have begun travelling to the United States on a regular basis again, are excited and intrigued by the level of freedom which Americans are beginning to revel in since March of 2019.

Fully vaccinated Americans can now go mask-less and while some stores and businesses uphold their personal preferences for their customers and clients to continue to wear masks, for the most part, less restrictions within the United States have left Bahamians feeling free once they step foot within the United States.

To return home where tighter restrictions are still in place can leave one feeling discombobulated.

Perhaps it is that taste of freedom that has caused many Bahamians to disregard the tighter Covid-19 protocols that must still govern a nation that continues to battle this unseen killer. Bahamians have blatantly disregarded these restrictions and have begun to gather in large groups, some being more daring and choosing not to wear masks nor social distance.

According to recent media reports, the Royal Bahamas Police Force has been forced to crack down on the number of mass gatherings that have been taking place both in New Providence and Grand Bahama.

In fact, so far for the year close to 900 Covid-19 citations were issued; a floating bar in Nassau was cited four times for breaching the Emergency Orders; a lounge in Abaco was fined $30k for breach; nightclubs and guests have been fined and police officers have been concerned about the increasing number of house parties and mass gatherings.

To deny that such gatherings are taking place would be to totally disregard the truth. We all have seen the gatherings within our respective islands. In fact, many of you reading this may have been a part of such gatherings. Bars, private homes and other social gathering waterholes have attacked hundreds of people every weekend in a party atmosphere where all health protocols for Covid-19 has been thrown out of the window.

In fact it is believed that such gatherings is what contributed to islands like Cat Island and Andros having to go on a 14-day lockdown. Remember, during the start of the Pandemic, these islands had few to no cases of Covid-19.

However, as time went on and as more people became weary of being stuck inside, kept away from their friends and everyday activities, many people have been willing to “take that chance” and get together with friends and family members.

It is human nature to socialize, to touch, hug and be in each other’s company. That’s why it has been so difficult for people around the world to adhere to the restrictions in order to get through the crisis. Bahamians, like many Caribbean people, tend to be even more sociable and it is within our DNA to meet face-to-face, to greet each other with a hug and to get close to those with whom we come in contact with.

However, in spite of these attributes which drives us and defines us, and in spite of the weariness in having to avoid characteristics that are naturally us, we must bear in mind that the country continues to battle the Covid-19 pandemic.

We must remember, that not only will high number of positive cases have a negative effect on us individually and on our economy, in terms of forced lockdowns, but because we are a tourist nation, As long as we continue to disregard the health protocols and the Emergency Order restrictions, the longer it will take for us to get out of the strangle hold of the pandemic and get back on with our lives.

The fact that the numbers within the United States have been decreasing on a daily basis, should be a glimmer of hope that we too can eventually get to that point. But we must do our part to stop the spread of Covid-19.