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by pltm
(PLTM) - Governor Augustus Jaspert has admittedly explained there were lessons learnt from the past three days of managed curfew, but warned that the next 14 days lockdown is crucially important in the fight against the coronavirus COVID-19.
"We recognise that the past three days of managed curfew haven’t always gone as smoothly as we would have liked. This is an unprecedented period," the Governor stated in an address Saturday, March 4 as the Territory commenced a 14-day lock down.
He added, "We acknowledge that we might have done things differently; we learnt lessons and we adjusted where we could as we went. I am hugely grateful to our business owners, the shops staff and the police in particular for what they did to ensure that whole Territory could access essential supplies in just three days."
There are deep concerns by those in the medial field that the past three days may have unraveled all the work done in the first 6-day lockdown as residents flocked to crowded stores and supermarkets to stockpile, often time ignoring the social distancing protocols.
The Governor pointed out that whatever lessons were learnt, they do not detract from the hard work and dedication of shop workers and police officers in incredibly testing times.
"....As we go back to full lock-down, I’d like to focus on the opportunity we now have, not what we might have done differently. We have a unique opportunity to get the next 14 days right. If we all stay in our homes for this period, we will have a much clearer picture of the level of infection in the Territory; how we can stamp it out; and how we can put measures in place to control it," the Governor stated.
He explained that 14 days is the period identified medically to determine if the virus is prevalent. The Governor said it will be hard, but if short hardship means mitigating against community infection, the Territory will be the better for it.
"We know how difficult this is but thank you all for complying. These measures we are taking through Cabinet are driven by one motivation; to protect you and the overall population of the Territory. This is our best chance to reduce the risk that the Coronavirus spreads in our Territory. The better we comply with staying at home the better the chance that is a short disruption to our lives," the Governor said.
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