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Thompson: Compensation not just for tourists

by Marlon Madden
5 min read
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The decision by the Mia Mottley administration to pay hotel fees for individuals awaiting COVID-19 tests results for more than 72 hours will not necessarily be in the form of cash.

This revelation has come from head of the newly-formed COVID-19 communications team Ambassador Elizabeth Thompson, who on Monday night sought to quell concerns, provide clarification to some issues and respond to criticisms raised by residents since the announcement of Government’s planned assistance for visitors last Saturday.

During the virtual media briefing, Thompson also admitted that the decision to offer a return trip for affected individuals to the island was to mitigate negative publicity.

“What Government is saying is that for the additional days beyond when you should have gotten your test result back, if you were stuck for additional days, we will look at ‘compensating’ you for those days,” said Thompson, who noted that there have been concerns about where Government would get the money from.

Stressing that Barbadians who travelled home would also benefit, Thompson, who was speaking from her room in quarantine after returning to the island last Saturday, explained how the “compensation” would work.

“This isn’t just about tourists. There are many Barbadians who are delayed in quarantine in facilities and hotels across the island,” said Thompson, who said Government was housing Barbadians at the Savannah Hotel and the Blue Horizon, while prison officers were being housed at Hilton and Sun Bay Hotels.

“So the notion that these non-nationals, tourists, are being treated better, are being given more…everybody who was caught by this, whether Barbadian or non-Barbadian, will be treated in the same way. Perhaps when it was announced that was not clear,” she said.

“This is the approach that is going to be used: if hoteliers are not prepared to compensate the stay for those extra days, Government will look to see if there are monies owed to the government and write-offs will then have to take place against those costs or expenditures; lab tests where necessary, may have to be redone and there are methods therefore which are going to be used to facilitate these additional stays without all cash transactions being done,” said Thompson.

“Visitors may or may not choose to come back, but what Government had to determine was whether or not the negative publicity which we would have had to pay to address was worth allowing to continue . . . but we do not anticipate that we are going to have to pay out large sums of money and we took a decision that our international reputation as a high-quality, world-renowned destination had to be protected, and there was a cost to protecting that reputation . . .” she explained.

This explanation came hours after several hoteliers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Barbados TODAY they were still in the dark as to how exactly the plan would work. They were concerned that Government had not had any discussions with them prior to making the announcement.

Efforts to speak with Minister of Tourism Senator Lisa Cummins on the matter on Monday were unsuccessful.

However, earlier Chairman of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) told Barbados TODAY that the association was in the process of checking in with members to find out how many people were to benefit.

“With regard to the Government’s announcement of the funding of visitors who would have been in waiting for test results for more than 72 hours, we are in the process of making contact with our members to determine the types of queries they are receiving as well as the extent in terms of the number of guests who are potentially impacted by this,” said Roach.

Affected individuals are also being encouraged to call the hotline 628-4150.

During Monday night’s press briefing it was revealed that some 172 Barbadians and approximately 400 tourists were still awaiting their results to end their quarantine period.

Thompson made it clear that Government was already doing what it could to help locals in the situation, as she outlined several social protection schemes.

“People have raised as a fact, but it is not, that the Barbados Government is ‘compensating’ tourists for a loss of a vacation, but what are Barbadians getting? Let me go back to say that Government has given COVID support in the form of Adopt-a-Family, in the form of direct cash grants, in the form of support to small businesses, support to the tourism sector to the tune of $60 million, that is what Barbadians got and are getting,” she said.

Thompson also took the opportunity to again apologize profusely to Barbadians and visitors for the disappointment of not getting their results on time so they could go about their business.

“There is nothing I think that will make you feel better, but please understand you have the sympathy and the apology of the Government of Barbados,” she said, as she singled out some people who shared their disappointment on social media, people who have missed work and those who were unable to see the island or spend time with relatives and friends.

She gave the assurance that the COVID-19 team and frontline workers were doing all they could to bring about a change. (marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)

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