CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
ANTIGUA
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister,
Gaston Browne has said his administration
will give illegal immigrants a fourmonth
extension if they get vaccinated
against Covid-19.
In making the announcement last
week, the prime minister said that people
who fit the criteria would not be
removed from the country if they come
forward to get the vaccine.
The government
has also launched a
raffle, with the main
prize being an 8,000
square foot of land, to
encourage people to
take the vaccine.
The competition is open to anyone in
Antigua regardless of their nationality
or residency, however, parliamentarians
and their relatives have been barred
from taking part in the raffle.
BARBADOS
The Barbados-Caribbean Climate
Outlook Forum (CariCOF) said the early
wet season was forecast to bring an
increase in wet days and wet spells and
that there was major concern for shortterm
drought by the end of August in
the Caribbean.
In its latest Caribbean Outlook bulletin
released in Barbados last week,
CariCOF said the increase in wet days
and wet spells over the next three
months will decrease in dryness, wild
fire potential and dust levels as well as
an increase in water levels in soils, rivers
and reservoirs.
However, the potential for flash
flooding and cascading impacts will
increase from moderate to high by
August in the islands, while decrease
from high to moderate
in the Guianas.
In its climate outlook
for September to
November, CaricCOF
the late wet season, the number of
very set and extreme wet spells reaches
its annual peak across Belize and the
islands, with a high potential for flooding
and flash-floods as well as cascading
hazards.
CAYMAN ISLANDS
The Cayman Islands Tourism Association
(CITA) is offering the population
a chance to win US $10,000 as well
as 280 other prizes worth a total of
US $15,000, as part of an initiative to
encourage people to get vaccinated for
Covid-19.
CITA along with the charity R3 Cayman
Foundation announced the prizes
during a recent meeting of its members.
CITA president Marc Langevin said it
was vital for the terror to teach its target
of vaccinating 70 percent or more
Caribbean L 8 ife, JUNE 18-24, 2021
Updated daily at www.caribbeanlifenews.com
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Alphonso Browne addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly
at the U.N. headquarters Friday, Sept. 27, 2019. Associated Press / Kevin Hagen; File
of its potential , so that the borders can
reopen safely to tourists and the tourism
sector had a part to play in that by
encouraging its employees to get vaccinated
as soon as possible.
Langevin said CITA has been asking
its members to provide weekly updates
on how many of their staff have been
vaccinated and that
“right now, as an
industry, we are, at 75
percent.”
He added that certain
sectors within the
industry had higher percentages than
that, like restaurants, which has been a
90 percent vaccination rate.
In April when the local vaccination
rate started to slow down, the government
launched a ramped-up drive in
a bid to ensure that all the remaining
vaccines on the island, which are set to
expire at the end of June, will be used
by then.
JAMAICA
The Jamaican government said it was
committed to eliminating all HIV/AIDS
stigma in the society.
This was revealed by junior minister
in the Ministry of Health, Juliet
Cuthbert-Flynn, who was speaking at
the virtual launch of the UNAIDS 2020
Annual Report enabling Environment
and Human Rights in Jamaica recently.
She also said that discrimination and
violence against persons living with the
disease are also being tackled.
The junior minister
noted that tremendous
investments have
been made over the
years, and the government
of Jamaica has done much more
work with civil society organizations,
faith-based organizations and international
development partners to mitigate
HIV-related stigma and discrimination
in Jamaica.
She added that HIV-related stigma
and discrimination remain a persistent
challenge to achieving positive health
outcomes among people living with
HIV/AIDS and those most affected, with
the most vulnerable being sex workers,
homosexuals , bi-sexuals, men who
have sex with men, inmates, transgender
persons, young girls and others.
ST. KITTS
The St. Kitts and Nevis government
has announced one of the strictest
Covid-19 travel protocols.
According to the St. Kitts and Nevis
Tourism Authority, only vaccinated
travelers will be welcomed based on
a new policy which requires tourists,
including those from the United States
with either a two-dose vaccine, like the
Pfizer/BioNTEC, Moderna,
or AstraZeneca
shots, or a single-dose
vaccine, such as the
Johnson & Johnson
shot.
Travelers must also wait at least two
weeks after their final dose before coming
to the islands.
However, unvaccinated children
under 18 who travel with family vaccinated
persons or guardians are exempt
from the requirement.
In addition to proof of vaccination,
travelers must submit a negative Covid-
19 PCR test from an approved lab taken
72 hours before traveling.
The tourism authority also said that
the visitors will then have to book a
stay at one of several “travel approved”
hotels and vacation in place for at least
a week. While at the hotel, tourists can
move freely throughout the property
and use all the amenities.
Continued on Page 30
THE NEWS FROM BACK HOME
Antigua offers illegal immigrants extension