Minister of Health and Wellness Jeffrey Bostic said a short while ago that the time for speaking is over and there will be swift action against those entities which continue to be in breach of coronavirus COVID-19 protocols.
Bostic appealed to Barbadians to follow the protocols to keep us all safe and had a stern warning for hotels which continue to flout the rules.
The minister, who was speaking during a press conference at Ilaro Court, said that a Quarantine Engagement Unit, headed by Lieutenant Colonel Athlene Branch, retired Deputy Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defence Force, has been formed to keep tabs on visitors in quarantine in hotels.
Bostic referred to a recent warning given to some in the hotel sector.
“I would have spoken last week to the hotel sector. You would have recalled that I would have indicated that tourism is their business and I asked them to do their part. And I still continue to do so,” he said.
“We have had some breaches from quarantine. We have taken swift action to correct those and we are satisfied that we have those breaches under control. But I want to say without a shadow of a doubt that the time for speaking is over and for those entities that continue to breach protocol, we are going to take action.”
Bostic said that there are a few matters under investigation in relation to breaching of protocols in hotels.
Referring to the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as a national threat which deserves a national response, Bostic said the Quarantine Engagement Unit will be staffed by a team of between 30 and 40 people, including community health liaison officers.
Retired BDF officers and medical personnel have also been enlisted to assist in managing the pandemic.
The minister apologised for the lapse in timely return of COVID-19 test results and said they are now back on track.
He said whenever we fall behind, we will get up, dust off and start all over again.
He said that Barbados was doing quite well as a country, but issues have developed which could put earlier efforts in jeopardy.
Bostic made an impassioned plea for Barbadians to help themselves and each other so that the pandemic can be well managed going into 2021.
“Ma ah begging ya. Put an end to it . . . because we cannot monitor every single thing in the country. . . You can help us to monitor,” Bostic said. (KG)
