Abdool-Richards: Government decides on reopening sectors

THE Government has the final say on the reopening of any particular sector of the economy.

Principal Medical Officer Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards made this point in response to questions from the media during the virtual health news conference on Wednesday.

In a letter dated August 26 to Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, cinema stakeholders appealed for Government to reopen the sector.

The letter was signed by MovieTowne Holdings Ltd chairman Derek Chin, CinemaOne Ltd CEO Ingrid Jahra, Caribbean Cinemas Ltd chairman George Borges and Estate 101 Ltd CEO Debora Cumberbatch

It said the sector has been closed "for 112 days in 2021, after being closed for 194 days in 2020, which has placed tremendous stress on both us and our staff many of who are the sole bread winners of their families."

During last year's restrictions, the stakeholders said, they prepared their respective businesses to operate in the pandemic and the post-covid period.

They said, "To date, there has been no record of any covid19 infection in a movie theatre anywhere in the world since the covid19 pandemic commenced."

In Trinidad and Tobago, they said, "Between November 2020 and March 2021, when cinemas were opened with food and drink concessions, the cases of new infections during that period were at the lowest levels for the entire covid19 pandemic in this country."

They added that to date, the sector has already achieved an average voluntary vaccination rate of 75 per cent of its approximately 3,500 members.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Barkeepers and Operators Association of TT hoped bars could be allowed to reopen next week.

Abdool-Richards said these are policy decisions and therefore rest with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

"So we will await further information from the Honourable Prime Minister and his team regarding the reopening."

The Cabinet began a three-day retreat in Tobago from Wednesday.

Abdool-Richards said questions such as fines for smoking in public during the pandemic, mandatory vaccination, covid19 vaccine donations or procurement, were also questions which could only be answered by the Government.

At the virtual briefing on Monday, Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram said, "We always consider the public health risks. There are many factors to consider when we make a recommendation for one or the other (sector) to be opened."

He elaborated that when someone takes off their mask, whether to eat, in terms of in-house dining in a restaurant, or any other space where people are in close contact, it poses a considerably higher risk of public spread of an infectious disease from one person to another.

He also warned, "We are seeing considerably higher levels of spread in delta virus..,possibly the hint of aerosolisation playing a significantly greater role.

"So having your mask off, in any environment, will lead to the increased risk of transmission of that particular disease."

The delta variant is more virulent than the original version of the novel coronavirus.