CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
ANTIGUA
Antigua Minister of Health, Molwyn
Joseph says the government should
give serious consideration to implementing
new policies that would allow
for only vaccinated persons to enter the
country.
Currently, all travelers must present
PCR test within seven days of travel.
A proposed reduction to three days
with the acceptance of
a rapid antigen test for
vaccinated travelers is
also being suggested
by the Antigua and
Barbuda Hotel and
Tourism Association (ABHTA).
He said the time has come for the
government to do a thorough evaluation
of that, adding that the science
is showing that matter should be seriously
considered by the government.
His remarks came as the island
recorded an increase in the number
of COVID-19 cases and a call by the
Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourism
Association for the Gaston Browne
government to mandate that only vaccinated
travelers may enter for stayover
vacations.
The ABHTA is proposing that such
a mandate for arriving passengers go
into effect as of Oct. 1, allowing passengers
sufficient notice of any changes to
the travel regulations.
There were 222 active cases a week
ago with patients ranging from five
months old to 82 years old tested positive
for COVID-19.
BARBADOS
Barbados has started to roll out of
the Pfizer vaccine for children 12 and
over.
Minister of Education,
Sanita Bradshaw
said following consultations
with public
health officials from
the Ministry of Health
and Wellness and several parent-teacher
associations as well as the umbrella
body, the National Council for Parent-
Teacher Associations, the government
was ready to begin the roll-out to teenagers
and pre-teens.
The minister said several of the
island’s most notable pediatricians
have already expressed their full support
for the roll-out of the vaccine to
teens and pre-teens, with priority given
to children with chronic diseases and
especially those with special needs.
Bradshaw acknowledged that not
everyone would want to have their
child vaccinated.
She said public education programs
will continue to help the undecided.
Barbados recently received a donation
of 700,000 Pfizer doses from the
US government.
The Pfizer vaccine will be available
to pupils 12 – 18 years at seven cites
across the island, but Bradshaw said
more centers will be opened in the
coming weeks, in phases, in an effort
to reach every eligible child.
CARIBBEAN
The International Police (Interpol)
has warned all of its 194 member
countries, including the Caribbean,
to be on the lookout
for organised crime
groups attempting to
defraud governments
with fake offers to sell
COVID-19 vaccines.
In its global alert, Interpol said at
least 60 cases in 40 countries around
the world have been reported where
individuals in health ministries and
hospitals have received offers for
Caribbean Life, S 4 EPTEMBER 10-16, 2021
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COVID-19 vaccines approved for distribution
in their country.
It said scammers — usually claiming
to represent a vaccine manufacturer
or a government agency facilitating
the distribution of vaccines — are targeting
both professional and personal
e-mail accounts of potential buyers, as
well as making contact via phone.
The Interpol alert is based on information
provided by vaccine manufacturers
and highlights the types of
modus operandi used in the attempted
scams, including the use of fake social
media accounts and websites.
GRENADA
The Grenada Ministry of Health is
blaming community spread for the
rise in COVID-19 cases in the country.
This was revealed by acting Chief
Medical Officer, Dr. Shawn Charles,
who said that the patterns emerging
from the current spike in COVID-19
cases points to this.
Prior to this, Grenada recorded specific
clusters of positive cases which
were either directly linked to an
imported case or a traced contact of a
confirmed case.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health
show a further 21 persons
tested positive for
COVID-19 recently.
The total number of
active cases in Grenada
now stands at 128.
Of this amount, eight are imported,
while for the remaining cases, the virus
was transmitted locally.
Infected persons range from four
to 71 and at present, there are more
female positive cases than male. As of
Sept. 6, there were 12 recorded COVID-
19 deaths with seven deaths in a single
day up from a total of five.
GUYANA
The Guyana government is seeking to
revive the 165 megawatts (MW) Amaila
Falls hydro-power project (AFPH) and
is hoping to start construction in 2022
with a completion date in 2025.
The former coalition
A Partnership for
National Unity (APNU)
in 2019 halted the
project that had been
started under a People’s
Partnership (PPP) administration
expressing deep concern about cost,
feasibility and other matters.
This opposition to the project had
resulted in the main investor, Sithe
Global pulling out of the project in
August 2013.
A government statement said that
the Office of the Prime Minister is
looking for a partner to develop the
project and has published a request for
proposals, which outlines two options
for the project’s development.
JAMAICA
Governor of the Bank of Jamaica
(BOJ), Richard Byles, has said that
Jamaica’s growth outturn for this fiscal
year is likely to be higher than previously
anticipated. The country’s fiscal
year runs from April 1
to March 11.
Speaking during
the bank’s quarter
media briefing, the
governor said he was
considering the stronger than expected
improvements in the economies of
Jamaica’s main trading partners from
the fallout sparked by COVID-19 pandemic.
Bayles said the bank is currently
projecting that real GDP growth for the
Barbados Minister of Education, Santia Bradshaw. Photo by George Alleyne, fi le
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Barbados vaccinates children
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