Chamber welcomes news of additional vaccines

THE Trinidad Chamber of Industry and Commerce welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement that Government has been able to acquire more covid19 vaccines for the population.

The Chamber also accepted Dr Rowley's reasons for hardwares to be closed for next week and adjusted curfew times on the Indian Arrival Day and Corpus Christi public holidays on Monday and Thursday respectively.

In a statement, the Chamber said, "We look forward to details on the amount of vaccines acquired and the timing of the vaccination rollout plan. The announcement of additional vaccines will assist in reducing the level of anxiety among the population, as our rate of vaccination is relatively low in comparison to some other Caribbean countries."

The Chamber added, "It is heartening to see the improvements in the vaccination strategy to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the administration of the vaccines."

The Chamber thanked Rowley for the clarity he provided on the reasons for hardwares being closed next week and adjusted curfew times. Prior to the announcement of the state of emergency (SoE) on May 15, the Chamber proposed curfews of 9 pm to 5 am (Monday to Friday) and 5 pm to 5 am (on weekends). Only the former was implemented. At a news conference at the Diplomatic Centre on Saturday, Rowley said Government rejected a proposal to change the daily curfew from 9 pm to 5 am to 6 pm to 6 am, as this would increase the risk of greater public congregations outside of the curfew period and possible increase the risk of covid19 being spread.

The 6 am to 6 pm curfew, proposed by the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) at a meeting between Government and private sector representatives, was rejected by Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young, the Supermarkets Association and the Confederation of Regional Business Chambers.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, the Chamber, TTMA and Amcham asked Government to "consider introducing additional measures to reduce the movement and interaction of citizens in the public domain over the next two weeks." The groups identified no specific measure to achieve this goal, in their statement. The proposed 6 pm to 6 am curfew was also rejected by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

In its statement on Saturday, the Chamber reiterated, "We are at a tipping point in dealing with the current pandemic. It is critical that every citizen understand that their behaviour plays an integral role in curbing the spread. Let’s each do our part."