Deyalsingh: Tour guides consulted, but beach, river hours remain

Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh has said tour guides of both Buccoo Reef in Tobago and the Caroni Swamp in Trinidad had contacted the ministry about the reopening of rivers and beaches and its impact on their services.

Deyalsingh was speaking during the ministry’s virtual covid19 briefing on Monday.

He said the tour operators wrote to the ministry. The swamp operators, said Deyalsingh, wanted the tours to reopen for educational purposes.

“We considered all angles. We decided as we open up what degree of risk we can take.”

He said given the introduction of the omicron variant, and the burden on the police service to manage breaches in protocol, the government decided on the 5 am-2 pm opening hours for beaches and rivers.

“We understand all concerns, but let s learn from other countries that did things too quickly and had to reverse.”

He said the ministry responded to operators in writing and asked them to be patient as the government reopens and takes more risks.