Whether Carnival 2015 is cancelled or not depends on the exponential rise in Ebola over the next month says Health Minister Fuad Khan. He was speaking at a forum on Carnival 2015 and Ebola at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Sciences (SALISES), University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, yesterday.
Saying his ministry had not taken any suggestions to Cabinet to cancel Carnival, Khan said both the Ministry of Health and the National Security Ministry continued to monitor the spread of the virus.
Most of the panellists at the forum, including Trinbago Unified Calypsonian Organisation president Lutalo Masimba (Brother Resistance), president of PanTrinbago Keith Diaz, president of the National Carnival Bandleaders Association David Lopez and lecturer in Carnival Studies Dr. Jo-Anne Tull felt cancelling the national festival was an unnecessary decision at this point.
Diaz added that the NCBA had a database of mas players, both local and foreign, and was willing to work with ministries to provide necessary information, while Masimba said calypsonians were ready and willing to assist in any educational campaigns on the virus. “I am not saying the business of Carnival is more important than health or the public welfare but if we are serious about Ebola, Carnival is next February and the Ebola outbreak is happening now,” said Masimba.
However, Khan challenged the panellists and the audience to ask themselves if they would cancel Carnival if over the next month the cases of Ebola increased to 10,000 cases a week.
“If Ebola is not contained if it enters the country we are looking at a 50 per cent decrease in population,” Khan said. Khan responded to remarks made by other panellists that the country and citizens would feel financial losses if Carnival was cancelled. “We can’t look at it and say we will lose $4.5 billion but we must look at it in the public interest because the $4.5 million that we may lose, if we have it (Carnival) no matter what we may lose our population.”
He said it was not just a matter of stopping Carnival. “I love Carnival but as Minister of Health I have to watch the whole worldwide scenario. Khan said the ministry was looking at increasing activity in blood bank, one case would take about 27 pints of blood to maintain. He said the Ministry of Health also did not have enough isolation chambers. He added: “What is going on worldwide is the development of process and procedures looking at a very infectious and new disease. “The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that there is a possibility if left unchecked the virus could infect 10,000 a week. “That is what we are facing in this country and the Ministry of Health is working on watching the international exponential rise of Ebola.”
Khan said while he could understand the economics of self and could understand the economics of nationalism, there were people who looked after themselves and people who look after the national interest. “There are going to be arguments on both sides of the fence on what is going to happen in February. “Are we going to stop the Carnival, yes or no? It all depends on what the exponential rise of Ebola is going to be like in the next month or so,” he added.