Nakhid: Don't politicise covid19 diagnosis

Former UNC candidate for Tunapuna David Nakhid is calling on TT to not politicise the recent announcement by Dr Tim Gopeesingh that he had been diagnosed with covid19.

Gopeesingh announced on Thursday that he had tested positive for the virus and was in State medical care. He was stationed in Tunapuna during the recent general election campaigning period.

Nahkid said he would encourage everyone who could get tested to do so, even though the government has not made this policy. He said he could not speculate on whether Gopeesingh might have had covid19 during the campaign period.

“You have no idea when he got the covid19. Do you? Do you have this information available to you? If you don’t then don’t surmise anything, and again I’d like something that is a health issue for Dr Gopeesingh and we hope he gets better soon and we should not politicise whether he has covid19 or anyone else.”

Caroni East MP Dr Rishad Seecharen said Gopeesingh did not interact with that constituency during the election period, as he was stationed in the Tunapuna constituency. He could not say whether those Gopeesingh may have come into contact with during the campaign period should be isolating or testing.

“We really don’t know who he interacted with or when he started symptoms. That’s the most important thing, you have to know when his symptoms started and then you have to check back five days from that and that would be the period of when he possibly contracted it. That would be an issue for the Ministry of Health to try and figure out. He would have to give the personnel from the Ministry of Health all the places he went and all the people he interacted with to try to trace all those he might have been in contact with during the infection period.”

Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsing said he had been in touch with Gopeesingh since the announcement.

“He seems to be in good spirits. He did indicate to me that he is fine and looking forward to coming out and being part of TT again.”

When asked about whether those who might have come into contact with Gopeesingh during the election campaign should be self-isolating and going for testing, Indarsingh said,

“From where I sit, Dr Gopeesingh has been one advocating for more testing prior to the general election and we will continue to advocate for that and call upon our citizens to be guided by their own sense of responsibility and to adhere to all the covid19 protocols and safety guidelines.”

“Since the general election campaign, I have been home with my family, I have ventured out probably once or twice, I am not displaying any of the signs, but if it leads to the direction where the signs or the symptoms are becoming part of me I certainly will not hesitate to go and get tested.

"All of my colleagues are very responsible and I’m sure if any of us are displaying any signs or symptoms, I think we will not seek to put ourselves or others at risk, and we will do the responsible thing and get tested and so on, I’m sure, if it comes to that.”