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Health authorities step up surveillance amid reports that some guests are flouting COVID-19 protocols

by Barbados Today
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Rudy Grant

The Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) is closely monitoring isolated reports of Coronavirus (COVID-19) protocol breaches among guests at some local hotels which could threaten the tourism industry already in a delicate position because of the pandemic and still so critical to Barbados’ economic revival.

This was the response of the association’s Chairman Rudy Grant in light of troubling claims from British tourist Tony Clemmey regarding breaches at a South Coast hotel that ended with the alleged whistleblower being asked to leave the hotel.

Though he is still investigating the most recent report, Grant admitted that a few worrying reports of disobedient guests have been coming to his attention

Nevertheless, he expressed confidence in enhanced surveillance being carried out by the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit to minimize the possibility of community spread.

“We have been made aware of persons who have been staying at hotels and who have sought to get around the protocols. There has been some of that, but not a lot of it, because a significant majority of visitors coming have been complying with the protocols,” Grant told Barbados TODAY.

“But we have had instances where we have seen videos of persons who sought to get around the protocols,” he added.

One such instance has been highlighted by Clemmey, who landed in Barbados on October 16. The visitor told Barbados TODAY that while at a certified quarantine hotel, he had reason to lodge complaints about guests who were mingling freely at the hotel, while still under quarantine orders.

In fact, the concerned visitor shared footage of a makeshift nighttime party on the property that shows a small group of guests in bathing suits who were dancing and grinding on each other without face masks. A security guard is captured attempting to disperse at least three of the guests and can be heard complaining that they were not taking the protocols seriously. He proceeded to take out a baton, which startled two of the women, while another dared him to “spank” her.

“You could see that there was no respect. Nobody was taking anything seriously. Nobody was respecting the protocols or cared about the consequences. I appreciate that Barbados is a very safe place, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any cases and their disrespect toward putting people at risk was unacceptable,” he told Barbados TODAY.

The next morning, Clemmey says he reported the matter to a manager who promised to take further action by banning the violators from returning to the bar area. When the events repeated themselves the following evening, Clemmey demanded answers and inquired about whether the violations would result in the quarantined patients being asked to seek a third round of COVID-19 testing. He even alerted Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George, who alerted the COVID-19 monitoring unit’s acting head, Alison Elcock.

In a long thread of email correspondence shared with Barbados TODAY, local officials assured the British tourist that they would follow up on the complaints in the interest of safeguarding all guests and staff.

According to the baffled British visitor, his line of questioning with the hotel manager resulted in him and his wife being asked to immediately leave the hotel.

When contacted, the south coast hotel manager rubbished the claims as “unfounded”, and said that the real reason for removing Clemmey from the hotel was because of an altercation that occurred between him and another guest.

On the contrary, he explained that none of the girls involved in the video-taped incident was supposed to be quarantined, but admitted that a gentleman who was on quarantine passed near to where the girls were standing while on his way to a designated quarantine area within the hotel.

The manager further contended that Clemmey’s attempts might have been linked to failed proposals to engage the hotel in discussions on a business deal and condemned the guest’s attempts to tarnish the country’s good name.

“All of the hotels in Barbados are doing everything that we can to maintain some sense of business, and this would be nothing but dragging the hotels through the gutter,” the manager told Barbados TODAY.

“I understand that he has called the Ministry of Health, so I am waiting for a call from them as well and he is trying to put Barbados’ name at risk because he wants business from us,” he added.

When contacted, Elcock indicated that the complaints leveled by Clemmey ought to be directed at the CMO and/or Minister of Tourism and International Transport Senator Lisa Cummins. On Friday, both officials declined to entertain questions from this newspaper, saying that they would be locked in meetings all day.

Grant, meanwhile, offered no direct comment as he did not have “all the facts”. But he stressed that there has been constant communication with members to ensure that all pertinent information is relayed to local health authorities. He however stressed that as COVID-19 cases continue to increase in key source markets and even in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), stakeholders ought to take all precautionary measures.

“There is obvious recognition that tourism is very important for the country’s recovery…this  is a very challenging and difficult time, and it therefore requires that there is adherence to the national protocols by everyone including visitors, staff, workers, and hotel operators,” Grant stressed.

The experience has left a bad taste in the mouth of Tony Clemmey, who has decided against applying for a Welcome Stamp Visa or extending his stay beyond November 5.

“Based on this experience and treatment from the hotel, I no longer want to extend my stay which was a mixture of business and personal, but also to see Barbados in regard to the whole Welcome Stamp Visa, which now I’m really not going to consider,” he said. (kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)

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