By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FIVE years after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands is reflecting on the initial response to the crisis, acknowledging both the successes and the missteps of the Minnis administration.

Dr Sands, who led the country’s early pandemic efforts before resigning in May 2020, noted that while officials had been preparing for an Ebola outbreak at the time, the emergence of COVID-19 forced a shift in focus. Preparations for a potential Ebola case meant that the Ministry of Health had already begun acquiring personal protective equipment (PPE) and conducting public health training, making it easier to adapt when COVID-19 arrived.

He recalled that in the early days of the pandemic, officials had to convince healthcare workers and first responders to treat infected patients, as fear of the virus was widespread.

“There were nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, customs officers, immigration officers, policemen, Defence Force officers — many of them were afraid,” he said.

Some, he said, showed unbelievable heroism, stepping forward to help despite the risks. Others, fearing for their safety, chose to leave rather than work on the frontlines.

“You had a small group of people who were prepared to do what was necessary to try and bring this thing under control, and then we pulled out all the stops in order to be able to test and to treat against the backdrop when, you know, as a small country, we really had very little access to many of the things that the developed world was hoarding.”

However, he admitted that engaging community and business leaders in decision-making could have been handled differently.

“I think that, you know, we could have been more inclusive as things progressed to get the community, community leaders, business leaders involved in the discussion about the decision-making, which impacted everybody,” he said.

He acknowledged that lockdowns and curfews were difficult measures, particularly as COVID-19 fatigue set in and public attitudes toward the restrictions began to shift. While hindsight offers clarity, he recalled that officials were navigating an unknown disease that was causing thousands of deaths globally in an era of widespread lockdowns.

Dr Sands noted that while the initial response was multi-ministerial, decision-making eventually became more centralised, which contributed to public dissatisfaction. As time passed, the approach became a politically charged issue, particularly as frustration over restrictions grew.

His lockdown strategy, he said, was turned into a “politically fashionable whipping boy”, but he remains convinced that many of the measures taken saved lives.

“You know, it is not only what you do. It is how you do it and why you do it. You know you can gamble with a situation and still get away with it. I can run across a highway and I may not get hit, but that doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do,” he said, adding that sometimes, even controversial decisions yield positive results.

Dr Sands criticised the current administration’s handling of public health in the post-COVID era, claiming that testing, monitoring, and surveillance of respiratory illnesses have declined.

Looking back, Dr Sands acknowledged that political factors influenced how the pandemic was handled. The decision to call an early general election in 2021, at a time when restrictions were still in place, sent mixed messages to the public.

He recalled that after resigning as health minister, he spent significant time providing COVID-19 care, witnessing firsthand the impact of the virus. He described intensive care units filled to capacity, emergency rooms with patients lined up outside struggling to breathe, and hospitals struggling to keep up with demand.

Despite the controversies, he defended some of the restrictions imposed, arguing that they saved lives.

“We forget, particularly when nobody in our family died or no friends died,” he said. “I had a number of friends die from COVID, colleagues that died from COVID. So this ain’t no joke. For us to trivialise that time and to suggest that this was, you know, little more than politics oversimplifies it.”

“The question is, have we learned anything?” he asked. “Because if we haven’t, then all of that suffering, all of those lives lost, would have been in vain.”