BHTA: Lack of clarity on COVID testing and measures causing backups at airport

Tourism and healthcare authorities have been chided for inefficient protocols at the Grantley Adams International Airport that is causing major headaches for visitors to the island.

Chairman of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Renée Coppin is calling, firstly, for rapid antigen COVID-19 tests to be accepted for entry as an alternative to the PCR test.

But she also warned that industry players are at their wits’ end over a lack of transparency and clarity regarding the systems that have been governing the entry of airline passengers over the last two years.

Minister of Tourism and International Transport Senator Lisa Cummins has pledged to engage Ministry of Health officials and stakeholders on the matter “within the shortest time”.

Among the most recent concerns is the apparent abandonment of tools like the BIMSafe app which, months ago, was touted as an important mechanism to ease the process.

“We have used COVID as a scapegoat for what is fundamentally a lack of systems and processes for the management of things on this island,” Coppin told Barbados TODAY.

“We continue to have, as if we were in Groundhog Day, the same set of complaints with regard to the ease of entry into the island, the treatment of the testing protocols, the transparency of the protocols, and even the utilisation of the BIMSafe app. We continue to have issues with all of these things and they are not being addressed consistently.

“These are things that we have asked, as an association, to have addressed over the last two years and we continue in 2022 to have some of the same problems that we had in 2020 when we first started this pandemic. We are at the point where this is something that we can no longer continue to be silent about,” the BHTA chairman declared.

Current protocols require vaccinated travellers to present a negative PCR test taken within a 72-hour window prior to travel or a rapid PCR test to avoid quarantine.

But Barbados TODAY understands there continue to be misunderstandings that are causing bottlenecks at the airport.

“We are asking so that we can have the entry protocols clarified. We are asking to have the entry protocols reflect the reality as it stands in most of our source markets and based on where things are internationally with COVID. We are asking if we could have our BIMSafe app functional so it can be used effectively, so that we can reduce the bottlenecks at the airport. We are asking that the entire process at the airport can be streamlined and made simpler and easier and these things will make all of us safer,” said Coppin.

As part of that effort, the BHTA chair wants entry protocols to include rapid antigen tests taken within a shorter time before travel, as an alternative to the PCR.

“That is a measure that has proven more effective in other markets, certainly in the Caribbean and elsewhere, in keeping their populations safe. And so, we’ve asked our Ministry of Health to consider making that change and contemplate that change,” Coppin explained.

“In terms of transmissibility and in terms of when it shows up, we are told that the window is a lot shorter with Omicron than it has been with the previous variants and, therefore, the testing has to change a little bit.

“I am not trying to pretend to be an expert in health. What I am saying is that, certainly, we want to ensure that our protocols are keeping Barbadians safe, keeping our visitors safe, but also reflecting the realities of the virus as it emerges,” she added.

When asked to provide insight on the scientific basis for the PCR requirement and for a response to the challenges with the BIMSafe app, Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George was unable to speak to the issue on Wednesday.

Minister Cummins, however, said she was aware of the concerns and acknowledged the need to balance effective protocols with public safety and economic recovery.

“The Ministry of Health and Wellness will continue to guide and take the lead on public health matters as they have just recently on the resumption of schools,” she said.

“I am hoping that within the shortest time, jointly with my counterpart Minister of Health who in fairness needed to be given the time to settle into his new role and come up to speed on all the issues, we can broker an engagement with the technical officials of the [Ministry of Health] on the issues before us raised by the BHTA and others as well,” she added.

Chief Executive Officer of the BHTA, Rudy Grant said stakeholders are looking forward to meeting with them “very soon”.

“It’s really about the processing and the experience that passengers have when they come through the Grantley Adams International Airport, and the proposals that we are making, we are conscious of the need to ensure that we continue to maintain safety and security,” said Grant.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb