Dear Editor,
Please publish my letter in your news column that is so widely read.
Open letter to Prime Minister Gaston Browne and his Cabinet.
First, let me congratulate the Government and the health authorities for a job well done in protecting this country from the serious dangers of COVID-19.
The citizens must also be congratulated for acting very responsibly in mitigating the spread of the virus thank God today we are in better place with very few active cases.
Prime Minister, I have a concern and I seriously want you to address it. Small businesses are dying in Antigua all because of the restrictions some of these businesses are unable to pay their staff and rent so they are forced to close down.
PM, you always talk about building local entrepreneurship to strengthen our domestic economy but today, a lot of these small businesses are closing their doors because is water more than flower.
Small businesses are a critical component of our economy and it is important that we save them. Most of these businesses employ the must vulnerable set of workers in our society who live from pay cheque to pay cheque. Because of the curfew we don’t have a night-life and lots of people earn their living from working at night.
Now that we have this virus under control, it’s time for us to take calculated risks to open up some more. People are complaining how things hard, lots of them don’t have a job, the businesses can employ more people if they can operate at they full potentials.
At least give us guidelines to work with we can operate following all protocols. We the entertainers can’t make a dollar because businesses that employ us like restaurants and bars cannot have entertainment. This is becoming more and more frustrating I have not had an income for over 4 months.
We are prepared to observe all protocols operate within 25 persons at least and make sure that all cooperate.
Please I’m asking you PM things are hard, please do something about this. Continue your good work God bless you and your cabinet.
Entertainer businessman.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Hell NO
Only when this Covid virus is under control and we have a vaccine or some other drugs to cure it we can consider opening the entertainment industry again. Young people need to be protected against themselves. And we need to be protected from them. It’s as simple as that.
LOL…you want to restart public socialization during a time when we need social distancing to stay healthy??? This isn’t America, friend. We’re not that stupid.
Unfortunately for you, you chose to go into a business that was susceptible to anything that disrupts socialization in society. And besides, your patrons are mostly broke too, so what’s the point?
Now is actually the time to start preparing for an even worse onslaught from this virus. Viruses are far more infectious around winter time because they survive longer in colder conditions with low UV, which is what causes the cold and flu “seasons’ every year. In fact, these seasons are actually just repeating waves of winter infections that began ages ago when the viruses first infected humans. The new coronavirus is about to get a boost in survivability from its first winter. So now is not the time to be even thinking about reopening entertainment sectors because that’s exactly how this virus will catch us. Consuming alcohol doesn’t promote adherence to social distancing protocols. We will need MORE adherence to social distancing rules, not less, during the coming months. Otherwise, we will wake up one day and find ourselves overrun like the US.
More like, “now that we’re pretending we have the virus under control…”
Why hotels are allow to have live band karaoke and other entertainment. Is it form of discrimination against small businesses. The writer make a good point small business is a critical component of our economy please dont kill it. Is nothing wrong with business function under the protocol this is about individual responsibility other people need a income to it need reasonable equity in the system.
W.H.O. say 3 to 6ft with mask, 6 ft without mask. If students will be sitting 3 to 6ft apart when school reopens, why can’t adults enjoy themselves standing 3 to 6ft apart wearing mask after 11 pm?
@from the sidelines…Are you saying that the young people will not be able to observe the protocols established? If not so why is our government pushing to reopen school where they will cluster just as they did in some schools recently while preparing for CSEC?
Comments are closed.