By George Alleyne
Wilting under the economic
squeeze brought on by closed
air and sea borders as a means
of containing spread of COVID-
19, a few of the tourism dependent
Caribbean countries have
cautiously re-opened their airports,
while others are exploring
the idea.
As of Wednesday Jamaica,
St. Lucia, US virgin Iislands,
St. Barts, and Antigua and Barbuda
all opened their airports
to visitors at varioous dates this
month starting from June 01,
with the Bahamas set to open
its air gateway on July 01, and
Aruba and Turks and Caicos to
follow later in the month.
In Barbados, Prime MInister
Mia Mottley began talks among
what is termed the social partnership
– government, trade
unions and the private sector
— seeking agreement on a a
date for opening the island to
non-national arrivals at its air
and seaport.
Emphasising the crucial
importance for the island’s
economy to again be welcoming
and hosting visitors since its
lockdown some three months
ago, Mottley said, “in many
respects, we die if we don’t and
we also die, if we do.”
She explained that her current
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Caribbean L 24 ife, June 19-25, 2020
social partnership meetings
are aimed at a consensus
among all those who will be at
risk of a COVID-19 resurgence,
“what is at stake is not just
lives and livelihoods but indeed
also the Barbadian way that
reflects consultation. … after
consultation, the government
reserves the right to decide and
to act.”
Antigua PM, Gaston Browne
had similar sentiments.
“Unless we open our borders
and restore our economy, we
face another powerful enemy –
economic collapse, high unemployment,
overwhelming poverty,
and no financial means to
sustain ourselves,”’ he said..
“This is a time to face the
inescapable truth — frankly
and boldly — that we cannot
take the unviable, risk-averse
decision, to keep our country’s
borders closed.
“Unless the economy is reopened
and every possible thing
is done to rebuild it; the challenges
we now confront will
not be overcome any time soon.
That is why we must not hesitate
to act and to act now.”
Caribbean territories with
the exception of Haiti have
been relatively successful in the
fight against the coronavirus
pandemic with Cuba reportedly
leading with 84 deaths and
Jamaica a distant second with
10 fatalities.
The need to urgently resume
the Caribbean tourism trade
is also felt by international air
service providers including
American Airlines, which the
Antigua PM reportedly said is
pressuring regional governments
to set firm dates for reopening
of their airports.
“I know for example that
American Airlines would have
read the riot act to a few Caribbean
countries and would have
said to them that if they do
not give a specific timeline as
to when they will reopen their
airports, that they would not
be part of their AA rotation
between now and October.
“So they may have to wait
until about November before
they can get flights. And I
don’t know any country within
the Caribbean that is heavily
dependent on tourism that
would risk not opening before
November because of the economic
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consequences,” PM
Browne said.
Antigua PM, Gaston Browne. Photo by George Alleyne
But this met with a stout
denial form Barbados’ Tourism
Minister, Kerrie Symmonds,
who said, “that is not applicable
us, because we never closed
our airport formally.”
He told the Nation newspaper
that AA had applied no pressure
to Barbados and referred to the
social partnership meetings
through which the island will
set its own date for re-opening,
“we are in discussions on protocols
and other related specifics
regarding the resumption of
commercial traffic.”
Pressure on Caribbean tourism
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