Covid19 jabs for Tobago’s tourism, development sector on Saturday

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Corey Connelly

2 hours ago

Health Secretary Tracy Davidson-Celestine. –

Workers in Tobago’s construction and tourism sectors are expected to receive their Covid19 vaccinations “at set times and locations” on Saturday.

In a statement Tuesday, the THA Department of Health, Wellness and Family Development said workers will be given direct advice on when and where to take their vaccines.

The move came three days after the prime minister announced that the country’s borders could open in four to six weeks, depending on the extent to which citizens access vaccines to reduce the likelihood of contracting Covid19.

At a press conference on Saturday, Dr. Rowley gave another overview of the government’s plan to accelerate the national vaccination program.

He said they hope to vaccinate 500,000 citizens within the next 12 weeks.

On Monday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said the ministry hoped to fully vaccinate at least 62,000 people by mid-July.

Tobago’s tourism-based economy remains crippled by the pandemic that has paralyzed international tourism for the past 15 months.

As a result, the health department’s decision to vaccinate workers in the tourism and construction sectors could very well be viewed as an attempt to position Tobago to welcome tourists and begin the process of rebuilding its economy.

Speaking at the press conference on Saturday, Rowley said reopening the borders would allow the peoples of North America and the Caribbean to more easily mingle, “and we will be better able to manage the people who come into the country.”

The department said in its statement that industry coordinators in both sectors have been asked to compile the information regarding the number of people willing to take the vaccine.

Meanwhile, the department said workers in these sectors shouldn’t randomly show up at health centers for the Covid19 vaccine.

The department said health centers are currently only delivering vaccines by appointment and have started giving the priority groups the second dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca and the first dose of Sinopharm.

This includes people over 60, people with non-communicable diseases, health workers, security officials, caregivers, teachers, and other key employees.

The Vice President of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association, Carol-Ann Birchwood-James, described the move to vaccinate tourism and construction workers as “excellent”.

She said workers had already been asked to indicate when they would like to take the vaccine.

“We have already spoken to the Minister of Health and they are setting up a facility for our tourism workers,” she told Newsday.

“Our association makes the list. Anyone who wants to be vaccinated and who works in the tourism industry sends it to our e-mail address. “

Birchwood-James said in order for construction and tourism activities to resume in Tobago, workers must be vaccinated.

“You must have some kind of armor against the thing they call Covid. And when you’re on a construction site, you’ve got ten or twelve men, including women, working in the immediate vicinity, carrying the bricks, binding the steel and making the roof, giving instructions. “

Regarding tourism, she said: “We take in people from Trinidad and we also prepare for foreigners. So you have to get vaccinated because we want the industry to open up again. “

Birchwood-James added, “When we open the borders, we want foreigners to come in. It is therefore a good step to open up these important sectors. “

She said she learned that on several Caribbean islands, people in these sectors cannot work unless they are vaccinated.

THA health, wellness and family development secretary Tracy Davidson-Celestine told Newsday that the government’s accelerated vaccination campaign coincides with rising demand for vaccines in Tobago.

She said plans were already underway to increase the number of sites where vaccines were administered.

People are currently being vaccinated at the Canaan, Scarborough and Roxborough Health Centers.

Davidson-Celestine urged people to keep registering.

“We started with the second dose of AstraZeneca.”

She said the additional curfew – Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. – “will bring some relief to the few of us who play Russian roulette with the safety of the population.”

Davidson-Celestine stressed that people need to “isolate and vaccinate”.

She added: “The announced measures improve our steps towards self-isolation in Tobago as the numbers continue to rise in Tobago.”

Davidson-Celestine said the reopening of the border, albeit controlled, was also a sign that the country was moving in the right direction.

“But the key to our recovery is isolation and vaccination.”

Davidson-Celestine said the department expects positive results from the government’s additional measures to reduce the spread of Covid19.