Jagdeo defends reopening economy as COVID-19 cases rise

Bharrat Jagdeo

In the face of recent alarm over the rising COVID-19 cases and deaths, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday defended the government’s decision to proceed with the reopening of the economy, while saying that a lockdown is not a sustainable solution. 

“The question is: Could we have done that forever? Could we have keep in that shape forever? You know the moment you opened up that more people would be affected because they come out of their house. They have to go markets, their daily business. Do you have an alternative to go back to a shutdown of this country? No!” Jagdeo told a press conference on Friday.

He added that the decision to reopen was not one dimensional as a number of factors had to be taken into consideration, with the economy being key among them.