LIAT’s much talked about come back is likely to be delayed countries in the sub-region see an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
The CARICOM “travel bubble” has burst.
This was the declaration of Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne who on Saturday discussed the region’s struggle with the surge of new COVID-19 infections.
“The situation with the spread of COVID is not limited to Europe and North America. Right here in the Caribbean we are seeing more countries having community spread. The most recent would have been Saint Lucia [which] within the last week, I’m told, would have had over 34 new cases of COVID. So it’s evident that Saint Lucia now has community spread.”
The prime minister explained that the reality of community spread of COVID-19 in countries across the region “has forced a change in the travel arrangements within CARICOM. So whereas a few weeks ago we had agreed on a CARICOM travel bubble, in effect the bubble has burst.”
Last Friday, Grenada opted out of the travel bubble, citing the inability of participating countries to agree on common protocols.
The Spice Isle will now require anyone coming into the country to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test and quarantine for seven days.
Montserrat had already announced at the end of September that it would not participate in the CARICOM travel bubble over safety concerns.
Premier Joseph Farrell explained that his government was concerned that Montserrat could be exposed to the disease by persons entering the country from high risk countries.
