Tobago hotel association welcomes children in safe zones

Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association vice-president Carol-Ann Birchwood-James has hailed the Government’s decision to allow unvaccinated children, 12 and under, into safe zones with their parents.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh announced the decision on Saturday at the ministry’s virtual covid19 health briefing.

Birchwood-James said the issue of safe zones for children under 12 in Tobago has been a grey area since the Government announced the initiative some months ago which prohibited unvaccinated children.

She said the association's president Chris James had written recently to Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell seeking clarification on the issue.

“We are having plenty problems with the safe zones, vis-à-vis the hotels. So, it will be clearer now,” Birchwood-James told Sunday Newsday.

“Children who can’t get the vaccine will be able to go with their parents to the hotels and restaurants. So, it is a good thing, especially for Tobago. And that’s why our president wrote the Minister of Tourism about it.”

Birchwood-James said Tobago is a family destination.

“Therefore, children are an integral part of our local and foreign tourism. So, it is a very, very good decision.”

Birchwood-James said citizens have to learn to live with covid19.

“We have reached the milestone of 700,000 people (vaccinated). That is a little over 50 per cent of Trinidad and Tobago. That number is not a bad number. We are getting there.

“It is better for us to get to about 70 per cent. But we are getting there slowly but surely because vaccination is the key.”

She observed the economies of other countries were opened because of high vaccination rates. “So, it gives a certain layer of protection against the virus.”

Birchwood-James also noticed that the number of covid19-related deaths in the country decreased over the past few weeks.

“The number of positive cases is also decreasing as well as hospitalisations. So, we are looking good. We are doing much better than we were at Christmas time.”

Birchwood-James also welcomed the Government’s decision to remove the time restrictions for people to be at beaches and rivers, even though all of the other covid19 health protocols for these venues are still in effect, including no consumption of alcohol, gathering in groups over ten, and loud music.

Meanwhile, THA Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection Dr Faith BYisrael said she will defer comment on the initial findings of the committee that has been appointed by the Prime Minister to enquire into health institutions treating with covid19 patients.

The report of the five-man committee, headed by Prof Terence Seemungal, was laid in the Parliament on Friday.

The committee found that owing to staff shortages, many hospital workers were burnt out and felt abandoned as they struggled to manage the influx of covid19 positive patients and health institutions.

BYisrael told Sunday Newsday via WhatsApp, “We do know that all of our health professionals have been experiencing a very difficult time during the pandemic. So, I am not surprised that some will feel abandoned.”

She said she would comment further once she has seen the report in its entirety.