Padarath out on campaign trail

UNC Princes Town candidate Barry Padarath is out of quarantine and on the campaign trail. Padarath, the former Princes Town MP, left TT for Florida in March, before the borders were closed to prevent the spread of covid19. He was granted an exemption on June 16 by National Security Minister Stuart Young to return home.

Padarath accepted Young’s offer of undergoing the mandatory 14-day quarantine at a hotel being used as a covid19 stepdown facility and to pay for his own quarantine. He returned home on July 12 and immediately went into quarantine at the Chancellor Hotel in St Ann’s.

Padarath was discharged from the hotel around 3 pm on Saturday and hit the campaign trail in Princes Town on Sunday. He described his two weeks in quarantine as “comfortable as could be under the circumstances.” Padarath said he was under state-supervised quarantine as opposed to state quarantine.

He thanked the management of the Chancellor Hotel for making his stay there comfortable while adhering to covid19 protocols. Padarath said, “I used the time (in quarantine) to hold virtual meetings and work on the logistics of election day etc.”

Last month while still in Florida, Padarath was screened virtually as a UNC nominee and also virtually planned election strategy with his campaign team.

As he hit the ground on Sunday, Padarath said, “I am excited to be on the campaign trail. I received a hero’s welcome this morning in Princes Town.”

He described the energy and enthusiasm of the people he met as electric. Padarath said during his walkabout, he crossed paths with his PNM rival Sharon Baboolal and “wished her a safe and enjoyable campaign.”

He was heartened that during his time abroad and in quarantine, his team and UNC supporters in Princes Town were very productive. Confident of victory on August 10, Padarath declared, “All systems are go to return Princes Town to the UNC.”