West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards has come on out in strong support of the decisive measures taken by the government of Antigua and Barbuda in battling the COVID-19 epidemic.

As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases in the country stood at 19, with 2 deaths recorded so far.  In a bid to flatten the curve and prevent the spread of the disease the Antigua and Barbuda government took the stringent measures, with seven-day lockdown with began on April 2.  Prior to that, the country had closed the island's ports to passenger vessels and ferries.

During the curfew, only persons who transact essential business such as to seek medical attention or to purchase essential food or medical supplies have been allowed to move freely.  The move has been criticised in some quarters as damaging to the economy, but the legendary West Indies swashbuckler was in full support of the move.

Richards compared it with a decision he made several years ago not to take part in the infamous rebel tours of South Africa, despite being offered a blank check.  He has never regretted it.

“I am one of those individuals that when I make my mind up in terms of the decision making and all that, then that’s it and that, to me, was worth much more than money,” Richards said in an interview with the Antigua Observer.

“Take for instance the decision made here by our leaders in locking the place down, that’s totally correct and people look at the economic side of things but if you don’t have life then you can’t work on the economics. So the most important thing is to preserve life and if we can do that in a collective way, we can achieve our goals,” he said.