An unexpected halt to the Ministry of Health’s fogging programme has some environmentalists smiling and at least one bee-keeper breathing a sigh of relief.
On Thursday, a brief notice on the Government Information Service’s social media page announced that the programme had been suspended until further notice.
A source told Nation News the programme was halted to ease those who were in COVID-19 home isolation.
The source explained that the Ministry of Health usually advised those suffering from asthma and other respiratory ailments to leave home until the fogging vehicle had passed.
But with COVID-19 being a respiratory illness, and people isolating at home and unable to leave, the decision was taken to suspend the programme since the malathion/diesel-mix fog might cause COVID-19 symptoms to worsen, the source said.
Reaction from environmentalists was swift.
Clean Up Barbados coordinator and critic of fogging, Ann Harding, was ecstatic.
“I am just happy they stopped it and I am hoping it doesn’t mean they are going to start back again when the pandemic is over because there has got to be a better way,” she said. (HLE)
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