The Caribbean COVID-19 Tourism Task Force calls for ongoing diligence and compliance with public health safety protocols and encourages all tourism-related actors who are able to get vaccinated as soon as they become available.
In the Caribbean, over the past year, the virus has generally succeeded in bringing the virus to levels below what is seen in many parts of the world. COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death rates are among the lowest in the world. This has been attributed to the early and sustained response of many Caribbean governments, leaders in the health and tourism industries, and the large number of Caribbean residents who have adhered to health security protocols.
The Task Force warns that now is not the time to “lose our vigilance” as the next few months will determine how quickly the tourism-dependent region can recover. Tourism is seen by many as a catalyst to get people back to work and restore much-needed revenue that governments have lost due to the pandemic.
“We are now in a race against time,” said Dr. Joy St. John, executive director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). “Especially with the presence of variants that are spreading faster, we need to adhere to health security protocols so that we don’t go backwards or forwards. We need to stay diligent as we continue to speed up vaccinations for our population now that approved vaccines are becoming more available, ”she said.
“We urge countries to further intensify their surveillance activities in order to quickly review, identify, test, quarantine, isolate and track contacts in new cases, and allow every resident and visitor to the Caribbean to do their part physical / social distancing and wear and tear can afford masks and proper hand hygiene, “said St. John on behalf of the task force.
The Caribbean COVID-19 Tourism Task Force also urged all members of the public who are able to get vaccinated once the vaccines are available and eligible. Data largely supports the safety of World Health Organization (WHO) -approved vaccines.
The task force was established over a year ago to develop and collaborate strategies and programs to help share information, develop health security protocols and guidelines for the tourism industry to protect employees and travelers, conduct health security training To monitor and minimize COVID. 19 incidents in the tourism industry and advocate sound health safety practices and the harmonization of these practices.
Through the agency’s efforts, more than 5,000 hotel and tourism managers and regulators have completed a Caribbean Health Authority-led health safety training course that has reached thousands of people trained by early graduates.
Task Force member organizations include the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and Jamaica-based Global Tourism Resilience – and Crisis Management Center (GTRCMC).
For information on vaccines and health safety protocols, see www.carpha.org.
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