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Health authorities consider hotel ‘switch’

by Marlon Madden
3 min read
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A suggestion that one of the island’s hotels be converted into an isolation facility for wealthy visitors who test positive for COVID-19 has received the backing of a major hotelier.

Paul Doyle, owner of the Crane Resort which is currently being used as a quarantine facility, said the idea shared by Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George was “a very good” one.

During the recent third quarterly meeting of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), Dr George suggested that in addition to hotels being quarantined facilities, there was “usefulness” in at least one of them becoming an isolation facility.

Acknowledging that it would require “much more discussion because it is a much riskier environment”, he said the hotel isolation could perhaps be for wealthy visitors.

“The Ministry of Health would reserve the right to make sure the type of patients going to the hotels are really wealthy persons and do not compromise the staff at these hotels,” Dr George said at the time.

The current isolation unit at Harrison’s Point, St Lucy can accommodate 140 individuals, although the number of patients there has never surpassed 30 at any given point. Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 and are deemed infectious are isolated; while people who test negative and do not have COVID-19 symptoms but have to be monitored over a period of time are placed in the 15 quarantine facilities on the island.

Doyle told Barbados TODAY he agreed that a hotel could be used for isolation once the number of people coming into the island increased.

However, he said, this would mean that the property would have to either train staff to adequately deal with such a situation or the Ministry of Health would need to place dedicated medical officials on site.

“We need to, as a country, open up in a difficult environment and we need to attract tourists, and the message to the tourists is ‘it is not bad. We are going to show you a good vacation. We are going to ask you to wear a mask when you cannot physically distance . . . but you are going to have a great time. You can still come and enjoy’,” the hotelier said.

Doyle gave the assurance that all the necessary protocols were being followed at his property, which is dotted with key information and clear markings reminding guests and workers of the measures in place.

Barbados TODAY understands that the Crane Resort is visited by a member of the medical team daily.

Speaking on the matter of testing for the viral illness, Doyle said he believed authorities should require all passengers to get a PCR test for COVID-19 before they arrive in Barbados and walk with their test results, rather than giving them the option of having the test done on arrival.

“That will make people feel more comfortable on the airplane. There are enough people who want to come to Barbados,” he said.

“We can really brag about the fact that Barbados has really done it right without cases in the community. So, you can come and feel comfortable and understand we want to keep it that way. So, I think asking everybody to take a test before they come [is a good idea].”

During last week’s BHTA meeting, Minister of Tourism Lisa Cummins said authorities were looking at the possibility of implementing a ‘test before departure’ initiative, with the Heathrow Airport, that would see travellers coming from the United Kingdom receiving a PCR test prior to boarding their flight to Barbados.

She said that once that was successful, it would be expanded to other airports.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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