by Adrian Gibson

Unfortunately, our country is clearly not prepared for Ebola.

How do you right size the response to Ebola? Frankly, when we consider the fact that tourism is our number one industry, any muted response to this emergent worldwide crisis will result in disaster.

The government’s approach to this quickly spreading and most frightening epidemic will determine the welfare of the people they serve and their own legacy.

Shortly after coming to office in 1992, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham demonstrated leadership in response to the devastating hurricane – Andrew – and set the template for how to respond to such national disasters.

I am told by seasoned physicians that our country’s initial response to HIV/AIDS – in the early days when the disease first emerged – was also slow and cumbersome, resulting in far too many deaths, inadequate public education and quite a number of people being infected before it was right-sized. Ebola is a crisis that allows us to look at our national preparedness for an emergency, to educate our people and involve the public in a way that brings us all together. This is an opportunity for statesmanship and the government must get on with engaging the media, school children, civil society and the public at large.

Preparation and proactivity needs to be felt and seen. At present, it is not.

We are particularly vulnerable, though the threat at this time is considered to be low. That said, we are keenly aware that that status could change in a day.

The powers that be need to move beyond the political bickering and ensure that all precautionary steps necessary to equip ourselves to effectively respond to this epidemic. All hands need to be on deck – to designate one as FNM, PLP or DNA is irrelevant.

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First published in the The Tribune under the byline, Young Man's View, here…