by Angus Jones
I would like to draw attention to an issue which, while may not be on anyone’s top 5 list, still needs considering.
As more and more people get vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus, particularly in the United States and the UK, the major source markets for Caribbean tourism, regional leaders must begin a serious discussion on how this will impact travel protocols.
It is more than fair to say that persons who have taken the vaccine may have a very legitimate expectation that they will not have to endure the torturous travel requirements many places, including the Caribbean, now have in place.
Recently, the CDC had reported that around 97 million doses of the vaccine have been delivered and close to 80 million people have been administered in the US. Data indicates that since the start of the process, hospitalisation and death counts have started falling. While many media and government officials are continuing to ring a cautionary bell, the fact is that the vaccine is doing what it was designed to do.
The same is happening in the UK, where according to the Independent, that region recorded its lowest daily infection rate in over 5 months. United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) figures also reveal that hospital admissions are at their lowest levels since October.
In fact, as more and more people get vaccinated it is serving to dispel many of the rumours about the safety of getting the vaccine. According to the AAMC, the American Association of Medical Colleges, vaccines were found to be exceedingly safe with headache, fatigue and arm pain being the most common side effects. The report knocked the argument that vaccines do not reduce transmission as being inaccurate. In Israel for instance, where more than 90% of those over 60 have been vaccinated, cases have plummeted, not just hospitalisations, but overall cases including asymptomatic infection.
The study also warned against the fearmongering that the vaccines will not work against the variants that have occurred. Emerging data from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson, as well as Novavax and AstraZeneca suggest that all the vaccines are still highly protective against both the original virus and the emerging variants.
With the US targeting close to full vaccination by May, and the UK most likely around the same time, what does this mean for Caribbean territories, particularly those dependent on tourism.
Well, what it means is that there is tremendous opportunity for proactive leaders to take a major step forward in rescuing economies and societies ravaged by the enforced lockdown brought about by Covid. It means individual leaders have an opportunity to show their mettle. The lives and livelihoods of those who elected them into office depend on it.
The fact is that the world is moving on, the world has gone past curfews, panicked closures and extended quarantines; the world has gone past prevention alone and is now looking at protection and reopening. Some Caribbean leaders have taken major steps in obtaining vaccines for their populations, and now they need to take the next step.
As the US and the UK get closer to their targets of full vaccination, it means that people who have been prisoners of this Covid war will want to experience freedom once more.
According to Forbes.com, “Once vaccinated, people who have holed up at home since the spring will be tempted to flee the coop and catch the next flight to their dream destination.” Forbes adds that although some policies are here to stay, others will have to accommodate the realities of mass vaccination.
Have Caribbean leaders and health officials started to look at these very critical issues?
It can no longer be par for course with PCR tests even, because the fact is that those who receive a vaccine might test positive for Covid-19 specific antibodies* despite being protected from the sickness, so unless these issues are taken into account, travel will be difficult and self-defeating.
Now it does not mean that we should just drop all our restrictions… that too will be crazy. However, with the global environment changing rapidly we can either keep pace with the First World, or hunker down and hide in the Third World. The choice is ours.
New York, for instance, one of the first US states to implement travel restrictions, this week lifted quarantine and Covid-19 testing restrictions on people who have been vaccinated within 90 days of their second inoculation. While this applies to domestic travellers in the first instance, it’s an example of the proactive thinking needed in the Caribbean at this time.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) itself – on its website under ‘vaccine clinical observations’ – says fully vaccinated people do not need to quarantine after possible or confirmed exposure to Covid-19 if three criteria are met. These are:
- It’s been at least 2 weeks since your final vaccine dose.
- It’s been within 3 months or 90 days of your final dose.
- You are showing no symptoms.
Only if these criteria are not met is quarantine recommended, however, the point is that it shows that things have started moving in another direction. Have these guidelines been taken into account and are they being worked into regional travel protocols? Are regional leaders keeping pace with developments in the rest of the world and can they respond in a timely and appropriate manner that ensures the Caribbean and the tourism sector are not left behind?
Do our regional leaders have what it takes to seize the moment?
That is the big question.
* Editor’s note: PCR tests detect viral particles, not antibodies
Today a group of people are coming to Grenada from Miami to attend the funeral for Elvin Nimrod on Carriacou on Saturday March 13. However these people are bypassing any quarantine restrictions or tests and flying straight to Carriacou from Grenada. Why is it ok for them to do this when everyone else, including tourists, have to quarantine for a week and spend thousands on accommodation and pay for their Covid tests.
Nimrod was reported to have been an honest man but it appears that those attending his funeral are not, and nor are the authorities who are permitting this blatantly criminal action.
This article is riddled with factual errors.
A. It’s not a vaccine as has been historically defined. It’s an experimental gene therapy with unknown long term effects. In the US the term “vaccine” provides immunity from legal liability from deaths or injuries.
B. Hospitalisations and deaths from the virus were falling several weeks before the gene therapy rollout, so it’s impossible to say whether it’s working as intended.
C. The therapy is NOT safe with 460 deaths and 243,612 reported Injuries in the UK as of Feb 21.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions
Numbers are even higher in the US. In persons over age 75 this makes the cure about 40 times more deadly than the disease.
D. Grenada’s hospitals should prepare for a very likely large increase in chronically ill patients, both citizens and travellers in the next few months.
I think the governments in the Caribbean should follow the CDC guidelines as they have been doing before a vaccine were available. Now that people are vaccinated with both doses, the Caribbean governments should limit the quarantine requirements for such individuals allowing them to visit the islands while continuing to follow the others necessary guidelines. Individuals who aren’t vaccinated should follow the country quarantine rule for the 7 days before they are allowed into the country.
Persons who are vaccinated should be allowed to upload proof of their vaccination certificate into the countries website to gain authorization to fly into the countries. Therefore, I hope governments in the Caribbean change their policy allowing individual to visit the Caribbean again.
we miss Grenada and its beautiful people,it s beautiful beaches, and the yummy food ! Time to allow vaccinated into the country
CDC still advises fully vaccinated persons to delay national and international travel. And if travel is necessary, CDC still advises the fully vaccinated person to undergo a PCR covid test one to three days prior to travel. If the test is positive, that individual must not be allowed to proceed. No one has yet shown that full vaccination reliably prevents the fully vaccinated person from transmitting the coronavirus to an unvaccinated person. A transmission that could result in death to the unvaccinated individual, and nationwide community spread.
I sincerely hope they have got what it takes – proof of vaccination should be the new passport to travel without quarantine…
Plus they should do more to encourage local people to get vaccinated..