Government reopening the borders after the closure of 16-months in Trinidad and Tobago. On Saturday, govt. reopen the borders that we re closed due to COVID-19.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, while speaking at the weekly news conference, said that he had been receiving the reports that on the very first flight that arrived, during that time, some passengers were seeking to beat the system.
PM Rowley said that was a huge step that they have been taking, but they have been taking it knowing that they were still under threat, but they have also been operating with significant cautions, and the citizens were told before what were the conditions for entry. Unfortunately, PM Rowley told them that in the first shipment of people into the country, the very first one, we had an instance of people not wanting to cooperate with restriction. He wanted to make it clear again that they would not be giving any passes to people who believe that they are smarter than the rest of them.
The authorities, before opening the airport, had outlined a series of measures, including the need for a PCR test before arrival to Trinidad and Tobago. The government also warned that unvaccinated non-nationals would not be allowed to enter the country. Parliament approved the fine of TT$300,000 if anybody would breach the COVID-19 measures.
Rowley said, despite the situation on Saturday at the airport, he expected that it would go smoothly, and that would include law enforcement as well.
PM Rowley said that there had also been planning to follow other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries and implement a digitalized system where persons wishing to travel would provide their personal information as requested with an app that would be available as the person books the flight with the airline that person has been using.
The government also revealed that it has been satisfied with the continuing national vaccination program and asked people to accept the vaccines in order to support the further reopening of the country.
