Busy Monday in TT as bars reopen, full Public Service back out to work

IF YOU'RE a public servant, this morning, you'll likely be going out to work, no longer on rotation or remote-working from home.

And if you're a travelling public servant, you'd better be prepared to dip a little deeper into your pockets as maxi-taxi fares for routes along the East-West Corridor will rise, with the Arima to Port of Spain fare moving from $8 to $10.

However it is not all doom and gloom.

You'll be able to sit down and enjoy a cold beer or glass of wine at your favourite bar, which is set to reopen fully on Monday to add to the other safe-zone businesses, including restaurants, casinos, gyms and cinemas. But don't forget to walk with your vaccination card, as access to in-house service at these safe zones is still restricted to the vaccinated.

You may also find some joy at your local grocery, since on Monday, the 12.5 per cent VAT will be removed from 65 food items, including pigtail.

All public servants go back to work on Monday, two weeks after all pupils in forms 4-6 were instructed to go back to school regardless of vaccine status. Vaccinated pupils first returned to schools on October 4.

Monday's changes comes against the backdrop of a worrying covid19 infection rate: over 1,800 new cases were recorded within the past seven days and over 50 deaths in that same period.

Covid-related changes were spelt out by the Prime Minister about two weeks ago at a Saturday briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's.

Dr Rowley had said that as of November 1, restaurants, bars and casinos may resume the sale of alcohol within their establishments at full capacity to vaccinated customers.

“The public service is put on notice that from November 1 we would be calling public servants back out to work in an organised way and hopefully by the middle of November, towards the end of November, most, if not all, public servants should be back out to work in full,” Rowley said back then.

He had said public servants need not be vaccinated, but added that this would discussed at a later date.

Rowley will not be in the country to witness the return of the full public service to work, as he and three other ministers are in Scotland representing Trinidad and Tobago at the COP26 global climate forum.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Finance – whose minister, Colm Imbert, is now acting as PM – issued a list of VAT-free items, the VAT (Amendment to Schedule 2)(No 2) Order 2021.

These include apple juice, orange juice, biscuits, 14 types of spice/seasoning (including black pepper and ginger), black tea, bologna, canned items (beans, corn, mackerel, mixed vegetables, peas, tuna, chicken lunch meat), oil (canola, coconut, soya and maize), foods made from roasted or unroasted cereals, soya, bottled water, butter and turkey slices.

Regarding travel, Route Two Maxi Association head Linus Phillip told Newsday last Friday that the Port of Spain to Arima fare will move from $8 to $10. Long-distance fares are up by $2, with medium-distance fares up by $1. The $5 short-drop fare remains but will now cover shorter distances than before along the Priority Bus Route.

To go to Port of Spain from Arima will cost $10; from D'Abadie to PoS, $10; from Five Rivers to PoS, $9; from Cane Farm/Tunapuna, $8; and $7 from Curepe to PoS.

From Port of Spain to Maloney will cost $10, while Port of Spain to La Horquetta is now $11.

Phillips said drivers had lower earnings in the pandemic owing to reduced capacity, while facing higher costs of inputs such as tyres, now costing $1,000 each, monthly insurance of $25,000-40,000, and monthly purchase instalments of $10,000-$14,000 for a small maxi and $25,000-$40,000 for a big maxi.