 Saint Lucia is one of four countries implementing the Tourism Health Programme devised by the Caribbean Public Health Agency, CARFOR. The Tourism Health Programme, officially launched in Saint Lucia on 19 September 2021, aims to improve the region's health, safety and security of visitors and residents alike. The programme's overall objective is to bolster the island's capacity to respond to public health threats, improve the health, safety and security of locals and visitors, and to build tourism resilience, reputation and economic sustainability. The Caribbean Public Health Agency's Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control, Dr Lisa Indar, speaking at the official launch of the programme in Saint Lucia, explained that the Tourism Health Programme THP consists of several tools that will not only ensure travellers of a safe and healthy destination, but reinforce travellers' confidence in the Caribbean region. These tools include the Caribbean Travelers Health Assurance Stamp, the Tourism and Health Information System, this, the Caribbean Travelers Health Mobile App, regional guidelines for response to travellers' illness in hotels and ships, capacity building and certification, advanced food safety and sanitation standards, and multi-sector, multi-agency partnerships for response. When COVID came, we wanted to adapt to COVID and to make sure it's relevant because the key in all of this is to ensure health and safety, to build travellers' confidence. If I am a traveller and I want to travel during COVID, I want to be sure the place where I'm going is safe and that they have measures in place. So we develop these different guidelines, guidelines for the food and beverage industry, hoteliers, travellers' ships, resuming travel, the travel bubble, and just last week the guidelines for the ships was endorsed by Caricam, it was sent out, and even at the Heads of Government meeting, they spoke about harmonized measures for cruise ships. Most Caribbean countries depend primarily on the tourism sector as their main revenue earner. It is therefore paramount that they are able to effectively respond to the various shocks which may occur and negatively impact the sector, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister for Health, Wellness, and Early Affairs Honourable Moses Jabatist expressed his excitement at the launch of the programme, adding that it will serve as an additional tool in combating the COVID-19 pandemic and any future health threats to come. The Minister pledging his support to the tourism health programme asserted that all entities have an important role to play to ensure its success. The COVID-19 pandemic has demanded that we embrace this multi-sectoral approach and this programme is one such example. This will allow us to adequately train, set standards, and implement policy, facilitate the building of productive partnerships, focus on maintaining the health and safety of all patrons, and ensuring visitor confidence in our beautiful island. This programme will not only help strengthen our national health security, but also the regional health security. As we continue to work towards a return to normalcy, I want to take this opportunity to implore all to please get vaccinated, follow the protocols so that we can return to a more normal state of operations. Discussions between Carthor and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States began in 2017 and set the pace for the THP. Director of the OECS, His Excellency Dr. Dedekas Jules, throwing his support behind the programme, noted that the support has been formalised by the OECS with the signing of a letter of agreement with Carthor on 17 September 2021. The nature of the times in which we find ourselves now require multi-sectoral collaboration. Health cannot do its thing in its own bucket, in its own silo, neither can tourism, neither can the government address and solve these problems by itself. It requires also the private sector, it requires persons in the industry, workers at all levels. I think it is any lesson from this pandemic is that everyone has a responsibility to play their part in order to ensure that the chain of safety is unbroken. The pandemic has heightened the critical importance of this programme and we commend St Lucia, Mr Minister, for being the first OECS country to fully commit to the implementation of this programme. The tourism health programme was launched under the Regional Tourism Health Policy Framework which was established in 2014, under the guidance of the Caribbean Public Health Agency, Carthor, the Caribbean Tourism Organization, CTO and the Caribbean Hospitality and Tourism Association, CHTA. As part of its mandate, the policy aims to ensure an enabling environment for optimal implementation of the tourism health programme, TPHP, which sets the presidents for a healthier, safer tourism industry. From the Government Information Service, I am General Norville.