Public Services Association president Watson Duke has called on the Prime Minister to shut down the public sector, leaving open only the most critical departments.

“I’m not trying to be insensitive to the fact that people still need to conduct business but when my members are losing their lives, losing their health, where it is compromised, I’m concerned.”

Duke felt, “The only thing that must be operating on a limited basis should be water, lights and health care.”

He was speaking on a Facebook live broadcast on Wednesday afternoon, when he said the PSA is growing seriously concerned about the steady increase in covid19 cases among its members.

The association has reports of two cases at the Ministry of Sports, six at the Port of Spain General Hospital, several at the St James Medical Complex and the Police Administrative Building, one at TT Post Tunapuna, and five cases at San Fernando Teaching Hospital.

Duke said he was also informed that several kitchen staff, doctors, nurses, and administrative staff at St James Medical Complex had tested positive for the virus.

Duke further claimed public servants were being exploited and asked to come out even if they fall outside the category of essential services.

“Some of them have nothing to do but they are asked to come to work.

"I’m saying the only public servants that should be out are those who are very important and contribute towards life and death. That’s what should determine 'essential services.'”

Out of what he called an abundance of caution, he pleaded with all public servants to go into quarantine if they come into contact with a covid19 case or seek emergency medical attention if they have any symptoms of the virus.

Duke suggested the Board and Inland Revenue and some operations at Piarco Airport should be included in the shutdown.

When contacted to confirm the cases among medical staff, Registered Nurses Association president Idi Stuart said RHAs are refusing to give out information on the number of nurses with the virus, those in quarantine, and those who have died.

He said, “I hope the RHA could be more forthcoming with information on nurses affected by covid19 the same way the Ministry of Health is, but we will try to get whatever data we could from our nurses.”

Police representative on the multi-sectoral committee ACP Wendell Williams admitted there are “one or two” cases at the Police Administrative Building, but said, “It’s not an outbreak.

“We run a quarantining process that is wider than what the Ministry of Health would do. And once we clear primary contacts that test negative we will be able to bring our secondary contacts.”

Police Service Social and Welfare Association president Gideon Dickson said around 86 officers have tested positive since TT's first covid19 case on March 12, 2020. Two officers have since died of complications related to the virus. He said there are over 586 in quarantine.

The post Duke: I'm concerned about virus in public sector - shut it down appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

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