ANTIGUA
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, Gaston Browne has said his administration will give illegal immigrants a four-month 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 short-term 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 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.
ST. LUCIA
The St. Lucia government says the tourism is continuing to rebound, with the island recovering a significant portion of the United States market amid the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Ministry of Tourism said visitor arrival data for May 2021 indicates that St. Lucia has recovered 81 percent of the United States market as compared to May 2019.
It said since the island reopened its borders on June 4 last year to date, St. Lucia has welcomed more than 80,000 visitors.
The ministry said that surpassing 35 percent visitor arrival projections the past month, noted peaks in arrivals as the destination recorded yet another busy weekend tha welcomed more than 3,000 visitors.
American Airliners re-introduced its service from New York’s JFK International Airport to St. Lucia that had been suspended in 2009.
The island also welcomed the inaugural non-stop service from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
TRINIDAD
Trinidad and Tobago has been added to the United Kingdom’s “red list,” where travelers face mandatory hotel quarantine upon arrival in the UK.
The British High Commission’s Facebook page updated a post which stated that from June 8, travelers from Trinidad and Tobago, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka and Sudan must quarantine in managed hotels for 10 days.
According to an online article, the UK government has warned Britons they not travel to “red list” countries.
The report stated that travelers will also be required to undergo a series of tests. The cost of the stay must be covered by the passenger.
Passengers will also be required to take a coronavirus test before they fly to the UK, as well as complete a passenger locator form (PLF).
— Compiled by Azad Ali
