Quarantined Padarath: All set for Nomination Day

UNC Princes Town candidate Barry Padarath, who is currently in state-supervised quarantine, has put his house in order for Nomination Day (Friday). Padarath, who returned to TT from Florida with his daughter Sejal on July 11, is in quarantine at the Chancellor Hotel in St Ann's.

Padarath left TT for Florida in March before the country closed its borders to prevent the spread of covid19. On June 16, he accepted an offer from National Security Minister Stuart Young for him and his daughter to be quarantined at a hotel for two weeks, upon their arrival in TT. Padarath agreed to pay for his own quarantine expenses, similar to TT Representative to the United Nations, Pennelope Beckles-Robinson, who returned home last month. She was also quarantined for two weeks and paid for her quarantine herself.

Beckles-Robonson, who is the PNM Arima candidate, will file her nomination papers in person on Friday. Unlike Beckles-Robonson, Padarath is still in quarantine but his agent will file his nomination papers on his behalf.

On Thursday, Padarath said,"My nomination documents were reviewed last Friday (July10) by the (EBC) returning officer and it was validated. All is set for tomorrow." He previously told Newsday that his agent is authorised under law to file his nomination papers on his behalf, if he is unable to do so in person. Padarath is amongst the 39 UNC candidates contesting the August 10 general election.

He was screened virtually in Florida on June 19. Padarath said before he returned home, he was planning his campaign strategy virtually from Florida with his team in Princes Town. Once out of quarantine, Padarath said he will be "fully immersed in the campaign with respect to walking the constituency."

When he returned to TT on July 11, Padarath said he and his daughter were screened but not tested for covid19 in Antigua. "You are required to show proof of being tested and cleared prior to arriving into Antigua."

Should all go well, Padarath and his daughter could be allowed to leave quarantine around July 25.