A dollar you invest in preparedness can actually save you seven to eight dollars of response in any disaster event.
Therefore staging a simulated lockdown is not that cheap and easy but it prepares the country for any future disaster event that can cost us million dollars if we are not prepare.
All the country in the world are feeling the effects of COVID-19 and the cost it comes with.
This was expressed during the press conference by the Chairpersons of all the National Disaster Operations Committee (N-DOC) yesterday.
The 36 – hour trial lockdown has attracted a lot of good and bad comments from the public therefore the N-DOC Chairperson yesterday took the opportunity to provide feedback to the general public.
NDMO Director and Chairman of the National Disaster Operations Committee Lotu Yates said that when there is an event its the whole of the government’s approach to deal with that.
“We are dealing with this COVID-19 and more specifically the Delta Variant is the context of disaster.
“And so in the last 36-hour we have a very challenging but also an opportunity to learn how we can connect different aspects of how the government do its response,” Yates said.
He further expressed that the country had been talking about COVID-19 for almost 2 years now.
“And if we notice the first discussion early last year up to now it’s mostly about our borders and how we quarantine people coming in the country.
“And the first set of learning the government have put its people through was ensuring that we have the best quarantine systems in place so that we contain the virus in the quarantine centres to avoid community transmission,” he added.
He pointed out that as the government improve the quarantine processes the threat caused by COVID-19 continue to rise more so the Delta Variant is posing greater risk to the communities.
“Today the discussion and the exercise scenarios that were put to us by the Exercise Control Team is about more dealing with the variant if it spreads in our communities,” Yates told the media.
Meanwhile, the lesson learnt during the past 36 hour lockdown is what N-DOC will be seriously addressing in their evaluation.
Permanent Secretary (PS) for Ministry of Environment Dr Melchior Mataki who is also part of the N-DOC stated that the past 36 hour lock down showed much better improvement from the first lockdown exercise.
“The important thing is the lockdown is one but part of the package of measures that the government is implementing to address COVID-19.
“And if you look at it, it’s on the extreme end of measures but I think being responsible it is important that we get our front line agencies and all the different sectors are well prepared,” he added.
He further added that both the government, communities and individuals should take on the challenge to prepare for any disaster event or COVID-19 for this matter.
By ANDREW FANASIA
Newsroom, Honiara
