(CMR) The PACT government announced several new COVID-19 regulations that will be coming into force on Wednesday. Included in those changes is a five-day quarantine period for people fully vaccinated for at least two weeks prior.
This reduction is subjected to the government determining which vaccination standards will be accepted. Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee spoke to this query from the media about how vaccination results can be verified and what international standards might be acceptable. He explained that they are currently exploring this to determine the way forward.
It was made clear by the Minister of Tourism Kenneth Bryan that the current purpose of travel remains for emergency purposes only, and flights are still designated for repatriation purposes only. Travelers who cannot prove that they are leaving the island for several approved purposes, including medical reasons, will be required to pay for their own quarantine stay at any approved government facility.
All travelers will be subjected to a mandatory PCR test 72-hours before travel, with the necessity to test for COVID-19 upon arrival at the airport now being removed. All travelers will also be required to take a final PCR test before leaving quarantine.
Unvaccinated travelers will be required to complete a 14-day quarantine, while unvaccinated frontline workers will be required to take a weekly PCR test.
Premier Wayne Panton shared that his government is taking the necessary steps based on the science and medical advice being provided to them. He noted, tongue in cheek, that part of their working draft must have gotten into the hands of the opposition and noted that:
“To them, I say thank you, but we have this. It is unfortunate that they had a year or more to come up with even the basics.”
He confirmed that since coming into office, his PACT government has been working with various civil servants and industry stakeholders for upwards of six weeks towards re-opening and getting the economy fully going again. However, he noted that the plan was one that had to be devised from scratch because the now critical Progressive government did not appear to have a plan at all.
He applauded the civil servants for giving up their holidays and family time since May in an effort to assist the government in coming up with a working plan.
Panton noted the irony of former Premier Alden McLaughlin being unable to answer the question yesterday about where the Progressives re-opening plan was before.
Panton noted that McLaughlin “answered by not giving an answer – something he is a master of doing.”
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