DLP general secretary says COVID-19 travel protocols confusing

Minister of Tourism Senator Lisa Cummins has been taken to task for the confusion surrounding the current travel protocols and the financial impact for travellers during this COVID-19 pandemic period.

The chiding came from General Secretary of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), Damien Griffith, who was speaking as his party’s 66th annual conference opened on Wednesday.

He said that despite the assurance from Senator Cummins that the island is open for travel for both locals and foreigners, the costs associated with travel continue to be high, with a large bulk of the airfare made up of Government taxes.

“We talk about reviving the tourism industry in spite of COVID…. This Minister does not know what she is doing, and she clearly does not understand the costs it puts on people. Travel is not just a luxury. I think many people who are travelling for leisure have cut it out because of COVID,” he said.

“With the COVID protocols, you are spending up to an additional $2 000 on any flight, because if you have to quarantine, the minimum cost you can pay for that quarantine stay is $1 000. If you then have to get the testing done at an expense, it’s $100 here, and significantly more in the other destinations.”

Griffith said arriving passengers were getting mixed signals and that confusion has extended over the last several months. He recalled that he recently witnessed an exchange at the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) involving a woman who was told at the last minute that she needed to book additional days for quarantine because she had travelled from a high-risk country, even though she said she had spoken to tourism officials beforehand and on multiple occasions to confirm she had all pertinent information required for the trip.

Griffith suggested the current travel protocols and steps for travellers needed to be revisited and streamlined for a better travel experience.

“Now, your vacation to Barbados is starting with that sort of indecision and indecisiveness on the part of the Government. If you are going to ask people to quarantine for long, you should be able to tell them before they get here. Was she not coming from a high-risk country before she left the Philippines? Was she not going to have to come through other high-risk countries to get here? So, in her researching, where was your responsibility? That is not the Barbados that we know.

“We now need to demand more from this Minister because her gaffs have been too costly. It is time that she either start to function effectively or leave, because we can no longer afford her ineptitude,” the DLP General Secretary added. (SB)