Acting PM: Use bank holidays to reflect

With the Emancipation Day and Kadooment Day bank holidays around the corner, Acting Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw is urging Barbadians to use the break as a time of reflection.

Speaking after being sworn-in by Governor General Dame Sandra Mason to fill in for Prime Minister Mia Mottley who began her holiday on Friday, Bradshaw told Barbadians that she wanted them to appreciate it was not a normal environment in which they are operating.

“Most of us would have no doubt been in costumes and would have been revelling during the upcoming holidays. However, I think that this is going to be a time of reflection of not only the past but also looking forward to the future as well. I want to encourage Barbadians to adhere to the protocols, ensure that they are still doing the physical distancing, make sure that they are wearing their masks and continuing to sanitize as well,” she said.

“I don’t think anything has changed over the course of the last few weeks. If anything, we’ve had to become more vigilant about our surroundings and certainly the [COVID-19] variants that obviously have the potential to affect us, because at this point we can no longer drop our guard, we have to continue to adhere to the various protocols.”

Giving an update on the upcoming national consultations on COVID-19 mandatory testing and vaccinations, Bradshaw said the final plans will be shared with the public. “I suspect that we will be looking at four different locations across the country. There will be a few Ministers, members of the private sector, members of the medical profession and the trade union movement as well, who will be joining us to take the conversation to the country in relation to COVID and certainly in relation to vaccinations,” she said.

The Acting Prime Minister said the sessions will be hybrid in nature, making use of face-to-face and virtual platforms.

Bradshaw assured there would be limited numbers during the face-to-face sessions and strict COVID-19 protocols will be in effect.  (BT/BGIS)