COVID-19 tourist protocols still on drawing board

Details on protocols of how tourists entering the island are to be treated when Bridgetown starts welcoming commercial flights could emerge as early as next week, Minister of Health Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic has told Barbados TODAY.

The Grantley Adams International Airport is to reopen to commercial flights from the Caribbean by the end of this month, and by the end of July commercial flights from international markets.

“We are now looking at those protocols exactly how we are going to deal with it,” said Lt Col Bostic.

He said based on observations of a recent repatriation flight from the US, on which four people were tested positive for COVID-19, officials in the ministry and other stakeholders were working on the protocols to be employed.

“As a result of that and based on what my technical persons in the ministry are looking at at this time, within a week or so we will come up with some protocols but I don’t have anything definitive at the moment,” said the Health Minister.

Several people have raised concern that people coming to the island for vacation would not want to spend their one or two weeks in quarantine, while others have suggested that the coronavirus test be conducted on individuals prior to their journey to Barbados.

Lt Col Bostic said he was not in a position to say exactly what the protocols would consist of, but said: “we will do whatever is required to the best of our ability to make it as safe as possible whenever the Prime Minister determines that Barbados will be open to international commercial aircrafts”.

The health minister said he was generally pleased that Barbadians were adhering to workplace and national rules relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The vast majority of Barbadians I believe have been observing the protocols and measures, and if we did not have the cooperation of our citizens we would not really have been in the position we are in right now, because except for those four confirmed cases which came from the US, we have not seen a new case and we have been testing,” said Lt Col Bostic.

On Thursday evening, Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that after close to three months of a virtual shutdown the country would be further lifting restrictions come Monday, June 15.

The Minister said the possibility of there being more COVID-19 patients locally was next to nought given that the hotlines were no longer busy and “right now it is not even easy to get people to test”.

He said he fully supported the further lifting of restriction.

“Based on the evidence we are satisfied that we are on top of things locally and that is why we actually give our support to the reopening of the country because life has to go on and the economy has to rebound and Barbadians have done very well and cooperated and there is no need for us to be keeping people housed up if we are not seeing cases. But we have the flexibility to escalate if necessary, based on what is happening but we are satisfied that right now that we are on top of things,” said Lt Col Bostic.

“We have supported the reopening of the country to the point that it is was because after 19 days past the last case, we are satisfied that if there was anything out there, any serious issue, that it would manifest itself over that period,” he said.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb