 Hello and welcome to the information commander center. Thank you so much for joining the midday update in studio with us It's the minister for tourism Information broadcasting culture and creative industries the honorable Dominic Fede along with the chief environmental officer in the Department of Health and Wellness Mr. Parker Ragnanan a lot has been happening since a new show opened its borders on the July 9 We did have the Revision of protocols as well that that is guiding the reopening of two commercial flights to st Lucia there's been a lot happening on the ground in terms of preparation for the official reopening as well as Some adjustments to the protocols Adjustments to how things are done on the ground to better accommodate and better facilitate how st Lucia is handling the COVID-19 Pandemic good afternoon gentlemen. Thank you so much for coming in We want to start with What have we seen after the your honor of Nora International Airport that has been really the Hub of activity as we reopened our borders in terms of numbers Do we have any statistics on the number of? Passengers that have come through at the Huronora International Airport thus far Okay, so thank you for having us on your program today with regards to your honor International Airport. I just want to say that Completely new protocols have been implemented one of the things that are in place today that we've never had before is a medical facility erected at your honor International Airport what is The intention and the use of that facility it's to ensure that every visitor who is coming to the country whether you're national or foreigner go through a process of screening and that screening process would entail medical examination including temperature checks as well as persons being interviewed for countries of visit exposure as well as The presentation of the negative covid certificate test results and it is at that facility if there is need for Swabbing of individuals to be done whether you've been tested or not tested before swabbing may be done and Testing of that person This is what happens. The other thing that happens at that new facility is really Where a designation of quarantine facility is really allocated? I think I'd go more into that because it's important What we are seeing is a number of our nationals are applying for home quarantine at this point in time and We continue to advocate that home quarantine is not necessarily the best manage process Given the situation we have home quarantine is is really for Extenuating exceptional circumstances However, we are seeing that many of our returning nationals are applying online for home quarantine and When they have been told that it is not possible to be home quarantine. There is a certain level of resistance Their thing with home quarantine is one to ensure compliance We've seen in the past that there is an unwillingness to comply to being quarantine at home They are strict guidelines and protocols to deal with home quarantine The people think that if they are home then they can meet with their friends. They can socialize They can go to markets They can go to the to the town and that kind of thing go to the beach and that is creating a major problem Hence the reason why in the first phase of the reopening up We are not looking at home quarantine as a preferred option Facility quarantine is really the ideal way because it allows for a controlled environment It also allows for the better use of the medical resources that is scarce. You are able to Do the daily monitoring and screening of these individuals in one setting one physical space Unlike when people at homes through different districts towns communities that a medical person will have to find where you are Where you are living to physically visit you and to be able to Screen you on a day-to-day basis. So that is the challenge that we are having so at the facility the the public health facility at the airport at HIA the designation of quarantine facility is Is done and that is done through a targeting system where an arm band is placed on the arm and There's a color coded scheme that will determine whether you're you have been designated home quarantine facility quarantine or hotel accommodation and they are the Certified COVID hotels that are in operation at this time So far if we are looking at numbers in terms of the number of tests We have done and that is for people who have come in and have not presented their test results or we have had reason to Do a second test so far in the for the week that we have opened the borders at HIA. We have done 22 test What we have had is a total number of a hundred and seventy persons going into home quarantine 225 individuals are now placed in quarantine facilities and we have 406 76 Guests at the hotels throughout the island so in the one week because we opened the borders last week Thursday So for the week that has ended that is the numbers that we're looking at on the island a hundred and seventy home quarantine 225 government facility quarantine and 476 Visitors at the hotels in St. Lucia So how are we planning on managing because as we are open it means that the flights are coming in we have a certain number of Rooms for that we can use in our public health quarantine facilities So how are we planning on managing the numbers? As we go along Certainly, we recognize the challenge in terms of the space that is available at the Approved government quarantine facilities one of the things that we are doing is to stagger the numbers of Locals that are coming in as best as possible So there is an online form that they and they need to fill out and so forth and we are looking at our space Presently the other thing is We've seen that the flights are not coming in very heavy at this time So we have probably the largest number that came was about a hundred and forty and one flight So we've seen we've seen less person on the flights the other thing to come to add to that is Today is actually the the ninth day. So 14 days is going to be very soon So the first set of people who are in quarantine would be released and would be replaced And that is the way we intend to manage that that so if I can just some shed some light If you will mr. Raglan that We have a capacity of 350 quarantine rooms using five different hotels at present with starfish being the main one in the Rodney Bay Medical Facility and what we're trying to do is to help to stagger the arrivals of the St. Lucia Nationals as much as we can because I'm sure that the Ministry of Health would prefer to have an institutional quarantine arrangement I'm sure the people of St. Lucia would feel safer Knowing that everyone that come in would either be in a managed environment at a hotel facility Or would be in a established quarantine. So We are working very hard to manage the flow of traffic, but it is becoming very very difficult as mr. Raglan has indicated they have been nationals who have returned without being tested and We continue to work with the airlines to try to enforce that protocol because we want to have an Extra level of surveillance. We do understand that as the cases go up in the United States It is becoming rather difficult for people to find a test We see in the news that Americans are talking about in some instances a six week wait for a test to take place And we have within our protocols a one week Window within which you can do the test So it becomes rather difficult in terms of the practicality of this happening But we have to do as much as we can to ensure that we Protect our people because the United States remains a very risk area One of the things that I noticed that keep coming up people keep saying that We have chosen the US as the only country. No, we've opened our international borders But the US at present is the country where most of the flights are coming from You would have heard that the Liat is in liquidation and Caribbean Airlines have not Started service back to our country as yet. So the Caribbean market would Be impossible for us to resume. Although there's a new carrier with a very small carrier one Caribbean which has just Started operation and they've started advertising flights to come from I think Saint Vincent Grenada Barbados and I think they're going to be other flights operated by into Caribbean the British flights it is proving very difficult in the British market for Individuals to get a test to come so it would be very very difficult for us to get that market reactivated and the Health situation we continue to monitor it to see when will be the best time for us to Send some kind of signal to the UK market to say yes We are ready to to do it without testing at present if we do the UK market. I believe they Advice coming from the Ministry of Health is to ensure that they are pre-tested as they do in the United States Canada seems to have stabilized they the curve somewhat in terms of the spread of the virus and We see that Air Canada is has advertised a flight to start in the first of August is when we're looking to reopen that market And that becomes rather difficult again when we're doing the pre-testing We will see how it goes with the Canadian market. We have instituted a travel bubble so those countries in the Caribbean at a very very safe is Very beneficial to the yachting sector at the moment because they can come from a low risk COVID country without having to quarantine and they come into the Various anchorage in St. Lucia. So that has been the work we've done so far in terms of reopening for St. Lucia's the Question foremost is why take the risk of having the United States to explain That so far the United States is the the area where you would find the flights most easily Being able to to come in but and you did indicate that the cases in the United States continue to rise So why are we taking this risk by allowing our borders to be opened for the US? Well, I think that the Ministry of Health They put a very strong set of protocols in place when we look at the fact that you have a pre-testing So, you know that most of the people that are coming in their COVID negative at least you have some kind of indication Although you cannot be absolutely sure That's one and then when you look at the facility in Mr. Ragnan's opening statement He did indicated that for the first time our airport has a medical facility and if you see The level of detail with which they operate that facility It takes a pretty long time now to screen each Passenger, I think the first plane load took about four hours before we can clear the whole plane because they are Absolutely meticulous and they are taking every precaution to keep us all safe In terms of making sure that even though they come with a negative test They screen at the airport again, they continue to be monitored at the hotel So I think that this is a very managed risk that is that we're taking Against the backdrop that we cannot stay close forever When we look at the amount of people have just come from my ministry and there's a long line for people signing up for the Income support program. These are people who are in the informal sector. So people are finding it very difficult to live and I know that some of us Will find it easy to say well, let's keep the border shut But they are 14,000 people who are unemployed and we're very happy to report that within the first week We have got some 1400 back at work And that is really about 10% of the unemployed population because of COVID that has been reengaged in the Meaningful employment and we're very happy about that and I think that that's all the risk We've got children to send to school We've got bills to pay at the Ground level at the household level and it really is difficult. We've got an economy We've got a hotel sector that is on the verge of being bankrupt on the verge of collapsing and we have got to Strike a balance as much as we can I think we've got to be optimistic the Ministry of Health has done a Phenomenal job in leading the Caribbean and certainly being among one of the best countries in the world in terms of how we have managed the crisis so far and I I really ride on their confidence and ride on their Ability to be able to manage this disease and every step of the way. We've taken their advice Talk to us about the calculated risk. Yeah, so I wanted to say firstly It's it's a very calculated approach in terms of the reopening That is why one We look at having certified hotels Covid certified hotels where the guests would go The other thing that the number is showing is that there seem to be almost a 50 50 Split in the number of nationals that are coming as well as visitors So it tells me that we have quite a number of solutions who were probably stuck We have some of them who are cruise ship workers among those image individuals who have returned There have been people who are looking forward to returning to St. Lucia Who were not able to get flights and we have seen in the very first instance once the borders Re-opened that the number of solutions are coming back. The thing about it is Looking at the the safety measures that have been implemented So we spoke about a facility at the airport on arrival where you do screening and medical assessments We've done extensive training with the Taxi service operators and the new measures that must be implemented We've done extended extended amount of training and implementation of protocols with the hotel sector and That is why not every hotel presently has the Certificate to operate because you need to have certain measures in place one of it includes having Medical people on a team at least a nurse available at the facility and having Systems in place to continue the monitoring Of the guests as well as the staff at these facilities a Requirement is that there would be daily reporting of anything that is happening to the Ministry of Health, so Guests are still subject to the daily temperature checks and monitoring for any symptoms of COVID symptoms as well as the staff members And a report is submitted on a daily basis To the ministry if anything is picked up it has to be picked up very early and manage very early The other thing that we are saying in St. Lucia is we can no longer Operate on their premise of zero risk because there is not one country in the world where you don't have at least one case of COVID at this point in time That is why St. Lucia has taken the Deposition that there are some countries that are deemed to be low risk and Most of these countries are within Caricom out of Caribbean countries as a result the decision has been taken as my understanding It's not just in Lucia, but the OECS has taken that decision as to looking at ratifying the bubble and What we are saying is if you are coming out of these countries you will not be subjected to having the Pretesting done as well as to be going into the 14-day quarantine But for all other individuals who are coming from countries outside of that bubble the Pretesting and I know it's not a hundred percent full full proof But it is a layer that that is in place to to give some assurance Then there is the testing that is done. If there anybody is suspicious On arrival there is the testing that is done and then there is the daily monitoring at the facilities Where where personal leave now they are the hotel facility and the country has not opened up What I would think irresponsibly in that in that manner So currently a number of the tours the sites and the attractions Out of bounds to the visitors that are coming in. We are saying that yes What you could do basically now is to do a sightseeing and it's not even by land is by sea So you can take a dayboat and go down the coast go to so far I go to view fort, but you're not even permitted at this particular time to come off that boat Why is that so let's just re-emphasize that if you were to see that some tourists are out on the water Yes, that it is permitted it is permitted What what we are doing now again is as as as best as possible try to limit Contact with the local population. That is what this face is about It's actually testing the grounds and see what is happening Because we want to be in a position that if we have to pull back That we can do so easily because we want to minimize Exposure that is what we're saying that the the workers at the facilities the hotels They need to do the daily medical examination and screening because we are concerned about their health and safety as well And so there are certain measures that are put in place in terms of the new protocols and operations As a matter of fact what we have found at the points of entry at view for example HIA you're an international airport if you're coming to St. Lucia and you're coming as a tourist and you are booked to a Hotel that is not certified right there at the hotel. You'd be asked to change that booking at the yes At the airport you'll be asked to change yes at the airport To get into one of the certified hotels because we want to make sure that you are on the managed Environment and these are some of the measures that we've put in place Yes, we'll talk about the managed environment in a moment But we honor the pattern I'm noticing a query about why have individuals who have tested negative or they presented a negative test remaining quarantine Yeah, so What happens within seven days of having a test so you do a test and you are in the US waiting for the results It takes maybe five days to get that results people are still exposed And it doesn't mean that because you tested negative On day one that by day seven you cannot be positive. There's that possibility Hence the reason why Quarantine is the second layer of assurance that we want to have Because what we've seen and and we saw one example of it in St. Lucia Where somebody came in with a negative test results was placed in a government quarantine facility And now has has tested positive for for COVID so so the test in itself is not foolproof The the other thing is we need to ensure that we can still monitor you and some people are asking why 14 days because we know the incubation period for COVID-19 is 14 days and hence the reason many people of the view that if I'm tested I should not go into quarantine and we want to dispel that notion and And and and tell you that the requirement is yes You do a test but further you'd still have to go into quarantine because the test in itself is not foolproof and hence the reason why Sometimes we get resistance Especially by our locals and I'm not in any way targeting our locals But we seem to have the View that I'm a solution. I'm coming to St. Lucia And I should be given certain liberties as a solution to be able to go home to enjoy my family to enjoy My time in St Lucia, but at the same time we need to have the the precautionary measures in place and quarantine is one of such Precautionary measures that if you're coming from a country that is outside of the bubble Then you need to be subjected to the quarantine even when you have done a test now That is a situation minister where We've all over the world now I'm reading of cases where individuals are finding that the protocols are Infringing on on their on their rights the freedom of liberty to do as you indicated Mr. Ragnan and to do as as they wish for us here in St. Lucia. How are we? trying to stave off that sort of these happenings where I Know that people must do the signing on it's the form of a sort of binding if you will agreement between the traveler and St. Lucia to abide by the protocols You know Lisa This is not an easy time for any of us. It's it's difficult. It's disrupted our lives in so many ways It's changed the way we do things. It's changed the way we live and I Think we all have to do our part to get our country through this successfully is my simple answer to the question This continues to be fluid. It changes every day and I believe that all of us need to Pay heed to the the advice of the medical experts and I think if we continue to do that I think then we'll continue to be a very safe Destination when I look at what's taking place in certain jurisdictions the amount of hospital Lization that takes place and the amounts of deaths that are take that have taken place in some countries I don't think that we want to get to that stage So I think that quarantine is a very small price to be paid because I believe the alternatives to that is A lot more painful for all of us to endure so what we've seen and we were talking about the managed environment for our visitors and Returning nationals we have heard of instances of the visitors being spotted outside of the certified Hotels Mr. You had reason to call an emergency meeting to to deal with with those Reported cases coming out of that meeting. What are the tangibles that we are going to move forward with? First of all, I'd like to state that not all of the incidents that you've seen in social media are true Not all of the reports are true. We are aware of Out of 476 almost 500 hotel guests We are aware of four or five incidents where guests have actually left the property and so what we need to do is to Disabuse ourselves from a lot of the false reports that are taking place when you do check with hotels and check with their security and Look at their surveillance technology we see that Some of the reports the time they were reported are on true. However At the very first instance of hearing that there were one or two Instances where guests have left the property. We quickly call an emergency meeting to ensure that we let the hotels know That they've got two choices. They either keep their guests inside or the state will have to take whatever means necessary to Ensure that our residents are protected and what we have done Lisa is to send a very strong signal to hotels That the health and safety of the solution people is our first priority as a government and that remains our first priority So we continue to do that The second thing we said is that you need to beef up security and there's also a better communication between hotels and The local law enforcement officials So I'm very pleased with what has taken place and I believe that we continue to have a very safe set of protocols and a very good working relationship with all stakeholders as We are trying to manage this and and keep the tourism products alive at the same time I know that you know as you mentioned we have some postings on social media of Cases that are untrue and how do you see perhaps this this sort of action? affecting the work that we are doing and trying to manage our our the manage COVID-19 as Well as provide livelihoods How do you see that affecting us? Well, it's this misinformation. I think that They are people with agendas and you know every cause, you know, if you look at the March There were some people who were going out there and they marched For causes that are real and there are some people who use the opportunity of such a situation to loot shops And I think it's it's comparable and what we have to do is to Is to is to really separate the good from the bad and to keep optimistic and to ensure that we Encourage people to Always sound the alarm That's always the wise thing to do because all of us have to make sure that we are watch dogs And that we help each other enforce the protocol So if I go into a mini mart and the owner or the operator of that stores us to me listen You need to put your mask on I feel extremely proud and I feel extremely good And that's an instance where I would congratulate someone like that And I think it is very simple steps like these where all of us can play a very significant role in Ensuring that we win this fight Mr. Ragnanth for people who me because the ministry did ask for the cooperation of the public because after all the Authorities and officials can't be everywhere at the same time So in terms of that public participation and assistance on for your department, how are you engaging? How can the public engage you sure and and and we welcome vigilance and like the minister says persons to be watch dogs Because we are all in this together as a country What we want to ensure is is that we are careful how we relay information There are times we try to sense is sensationalize some of the things We are very happy when we get Information that we can use to conduct our investigation To do our contact tracing for example, and we want to continue to work with every solution We have indeed Have the the free one one that people can get on to and and provide information There's a platform that has been in place and continues to operate. We've also given numbers for The office of the chief medical officer and other officers in the Ministry of Health I'm sure there is numbers there for Contacting the Ministry of Tourism. We want to to work together with every solution What we want though is to ensure that we are able to verify information Before we can actually make pronouncements on that information Because if information is not accurate it can hurt us more than help us That is one of the things we need to ensure. The other thing is In epidemiology we can actually do a kind of case investigation and we can indeed work with individuals work with sectors in terms of doing our investigation and And that is that is very important because many times you you get information from on Unofficial sources that you can use to help you to get to a point information that you may not readily have and These these are important, but at the same time like I said we must do it responsibly and and Do not try to Sensationalize a story even before we know what the facts are on it Minister are we getting a very keen reaction from the properties in order for them to be certified? I know that we have Quite a number of them that was certified to be something like 17 accommodation properties already certified. So are we getting more interest Well, a lot of people are just anxious to get back to business because I mean financially to be closed While you have certain obligations can't be easy for a number of the Operators, but it's more than the 17 hotels which you reference. We also have Certified many small businesses. They're about 26 or so small boats, which we have certified 500 taxi drivers are back into business because of this opening So it shows you that the opening of tourism is pretty big deal for our economy and tourism really is Such a lifeline a lifeblood of what we do in this country And so the indirect jobs, I mean we have not put a number to it But I'm sure that companies that are trading with hotels now that some of the hotels are back Would have actually rehired some of their employees as well. So it's really good to see that Some employment is coming back This is really really good news in the first week Being at 500 is An absolute success. I know that there has just been one positive case that we've had in the first week, so I am Really, it's a positive sign that we're not seeing too many Cases this they've swapped a number of individuals that have come through So I think all in all what you see is that a very strong management of this Virus and a very calculated risk that is being taken When you listen to mr. Ragnar and and all of the layers and the question you asked about why tests me why Quarantine me if I've got a negative test, but it goes to show that we are really serious about managing this and What we have put in place is more than a filter, but it's a strong defense against Any likelihood or a strong possibility of there being an outbreak one cannot be absolutely sure There's still a lot of risk involved But we are continuing to do our best to make sure that we keep the people of St. Lucia safe If I want to just add to that before you go with the next question Lisa Apart from what the minister have expressed The Ministry of Health Ministry of Tourism. We continue to work with the smaller properties Not the hotel Classified properties this would include the guest houses the Airbnbs and so forth because right now one one one one of the Fundamental principles that we advocate in is if if persons are coming from within the bubble They may not necessarily have to go to COVID certify hotel, but they can go to the smaller properties And so we have been working with these properties in ensuring that they have the the protocols in place as well and We expect that They would be up for business very very shortly as well So it's not just one category of the accommodation sector, but slowly we are looking at the other Entities within that accommodation sector opening up as well and and since we have developed that safe Environment the safe zone. We are saying that to these properties You can likely have persons from these areas come to your property and be able to spend their their vocation in St. Lucia I think that's going to ask the question about the monitoring of the properties to ensure Adherence to the protocols and that also includes creating a safe environment for the workers So how are we monitoring how the properties are performing on that level? Okay, so if I come in One of the things that we've been able to do is partner very well with the Ministry of Tourism And so we've been able to get additional human resources through that partnership as well as the the the government of St. Lucia have approved a COVID response task force or team sorry within the the the Ministry of Health That is where we've been able to get the additional human resources to put at the port facilities and additional human resources To be able to allow for monitoring now Monitoring plan has just kicked in because we only opened last week So one of the things that was happening is that there was the joint assessment that was done with Health and tourism and the properties were assessed and certified and that is the team that would continue to do the monitoring based on a schedule for these facilities So that is that is there's a schedule of of the monitoring plan and how it is affected and so far we are seeing fair fair Compliance with these protocols and we need to continue to work together with these properties that already opened as well as those There are several applications that we have at this time from other Business places in the accommodation sector that they too want to open up as early as The first week of August and so we continue to work with these properties to ensure that they are meeting the requirements Based on the protocols. The other thing Apart from the protocols is that every single institution including the Airbnbs and the guest houses must develop their own action plan Because whereas Ministry of Health would do some monitoring But one of the key aspects of opening up now is to ensure that there is the self monitoring that is happening Because we cannot be on a property 24-7 so the hotel The accommodation sector one of the things we've asked very specifically is to have one point person That we can contact with on a daily basis that you are the point You are dealing with looking at the protocols and we can call you at any time to find out what's happening in that sector What's happening in that area and work with that individual so as part of their own Action plan and implementation plan that is one of the requirements Self-monitoring is is something that has to be done and that is why early on when I spoke I said that they need to submit the daily reports Medical reports to the Ministry of Health If there is zero You just said everybody everybody's fever is good still report If there's elevated temperatures report that as well So we want the zero reports because it adds up and so these are some of the things that are in place in terms of not just the government institution doing the monitoring but they Facilities and themselves are doing the majority of the monitoring on the property and reporting to us Okay, so interest about the phases that we're in we're now in phase one of the reopening What will be different with phase two and and when are we looking to begin phase two? well that depends on how successful phase one is I think we've just had the first week and We have about another month to go a month to five weeks and what we want to do Lisa is to really see How successful it has been if we've opened up our country to uncontrolled risk then we know that we have to to go back and If we know that You know this is calculated risk and it's workable and our protocols are working then we can explore Maybe laxing the protocols a little bit to up the demand, but it is a gradual opening of our country to Incorporate as many businesses as possible so that we can get to a full reopening of our economy eventually in terms of the We spoke earlier about what one can expect when they arrive at the Huron or International Airport We spoke about the first time around the sort of delays the four hours of nothing would have taken for someone to have gone through the complete process What have we done to? To sort of amend that so to remedy that situation Yeah, so the four hours was really what we recorded during the simulation exercise The first flight that came though We were able to process a hundred and thirty plus persons in 90 minutes At the airport so the simulation exercise proved very worthy very much so So the actual first flight that we had it was an hour thirty minutes or 90 minutes Was what was taken to process a hundred and thirty one persons through that medical facility As the the the medical staff becomes Familiar with the questionnaire with the results with the protocols with the procedures. We have seen a gradual speed up of that process And therefore I must report to you that we've seen a much quicker time So we've had two flights back-to-back There is a flight that comes in at 2 p.m. And another one at 7 p.m. After 2 p.m. And we've been able to see this managed quite efficiently the other thing that In the assessments with the entire airport team and not just the health team but we talk about immigration Customs and and the POTS police and the entire airport team is that Unlike before where you had long lines in immigration Having to wait to to clear and get your passport stamped Because the wait now is within the medical facility You find that the numbers are trickling into Emigration and two customs and so the process is a lot quicker So so the majority of the time is actually spent in the current in the in the health facility At the airport and persons has almost a seamless process after because by the time you go through immigration They probably have 10 or 12 persons on that line you get cleared easily and your bag is is taken off the convey already By the time you get there So it's just a matter of picking up your bag and going through customs and being cleared So we've seen a process that that that is actually reduced in time So so more time is spent within the the public health facility but going through the other processes is almost seamless and and and Very short amount of time is spent in these areas. How much of your Let me rephrase that What drives how we are approaching our reopening in We hear the debate about well, you wouldn't get a whole an influx of people coming Some countries have reported that they've seen They've visited arrivals in the Thousands already since we opening in first of July. So for St. Dusha, are we focused on the numbers coming in? What what exactly is our goal at this point? I think we're focused on getting it getting it right so that it does not on the mind a health and safety of the St. Lucian people for stop and You know, I think if we can do this in a calculated way and the numbers which is a Secondary objective if that can come in At a level where it can lead to a substantial rebound of the economy then that's fine But we've always said that this is a pilot phase. This is something we're looking to examine We don't know how it is going to work And what we want to do is to make sure that we do it in little chunks rather than Doing it in an entire mountain. We want to take bite sizes so that we can chew it properly We can look at all the kinks and unravel all of the challenges that we may have so I am not Want to rush into competing with anyone for numbers Right now. I think what we want to do is to compete to be the best in terms of our health Public health situation and so far. I think that The CMO and mr. Ragnan and and the Minister of Health and the team They have done a superb job in ensuring that St. Lucian's remains safe and that we recover from the coronavirus, but I think 476 in the first week is not a bad number at all. This is uncounting and I think that We've added another flight. We didn't have jet blue for most of the week and now we're up to Summary in the region of about seven and four eleven plus three so it's 14 flights a week now so that's going to make a whole lot of difference in terms of the numbers that come in and We believe that we should see a significant Capacity coming in a bit later on but as of now it is to to get it right Yeah, considering that COVID is going to be around for a very very long time as well as we know it Mr. Ragnan at the Port we're looking at the Security of the airport personnel So where are we at with the testing and how is that process working out? Is it an every day? Is it weekly? How do we do the monitoring there? So? The St. Lucian's seaport authority is a partner in that in that process and Therefore all staff Coming onto the facility on a daily basis Is tested they have employed medical people there is a checkpoint now getting onto the airport where you would have to go through a The slasper's spot police officer and at that checkpoint is also a medical person who is employed And that is where you are basically screened and assessed That is something that's happening both for visitors as well as for staff at the airport So we want our staff to be working in a fairly safe environment at the airport one of the things that has also escalated is looking at Putting barriers physical barriers So the customs office right now is the the plexiglass Barrier, there's a microphone. It is to reduce direct contact with the passengers the same is happening at the checking points and The other thing that is happening is for For guests so I spoke about slasper doing the screening for the staff of the airport the Ministry of Health now has Erected a thermos scanner at the entry point that is the checking area the arrival not the arrival the departure Where you go into check-in? There is a screening station now that every person before they get to the desk to check-in Has to go through that medical examination evaluation. So that is what we call Exit screening so it's not about screening people coming in It's about screening people leaving the airport as well And so these measures are in place. They are being monitored. They are being evaluated To ensure that the people that are living St. Lucia is within the permitted travel Protocol at this point in time. So there are different levels for staff as well as for guests at the airports and so far We've seen it working quite well There is a little bit of an anxiety, you know opening up and and that kind of thing But we need to ensure that we reassure ourselves that the systems are working firstly and as we've always said the health Safety and well-being of all staff at the airport is paramount and therefore we need to reduce contact as much as possible The airport in its own protocols have have looked at the whole physical distance measure And and that is working quite well at this point in time and I want to say for the first week That the level of complaints have been very very few and far in between at the airport facility. We had debriefing meetings and looking at you know Areas that we can strengthen and and and so forth and so far They have been very positive feedback by all at the airport in terms of the measures that are implemented to save God Their health and well-being of staff and visitors alike The training continues. We know that we've had some training with the taxi operators the Dayboat operators as well. We mentioned earlier the Vedas and the Arabian beings Do you be doing training with that sector very soon? And we've had the beach vendors as well Yes, undergoing training car rentals to undergo training and certification When are we proposing to have that because once that happens then people is it an indication? That we fast moving towards the complete reopening not necessarily We have reopened in phases, but we need to be ready We cannot wait to open a second and begin doing the training and because training is time-consuming It also means that one of the things that we found is when we start early We can actually do what we call the trainer trainers and therefore because some of these sectors are big So when you look at a taxi sector, for example There are possibly thousands of persons in that business. It's make it makes it very difficult So if we can train key people of the taxi associations that can then pass on that training and we are there to Support this training. So for example, some of the training that was done was done by PAHO Through zoom and other networks. They've been training that is done by Kafa as well as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Tourism We need to continue training is a continuous process So so we are looking at not just the training but the protocols as well So we want to ensure that once a green light has been given for that sector to commence that things are in place And we're not we're not catching up. So to speak So that is one of the things that has happened Apart from the training has to do with the protocols for each of these different sectors and the Ministry of Health and Tourism has been working Very hard in developing draft protocols and then meeting with the sectors The key players in the sectors to get the take get the input so that we can have an agreed upon Harmonized protocols that the sector buys into that protocol. We're not developing protocols on our own It would be a futile exercise We don't we do not have the expertise not the experience in several of these areas And therefore we need to have all the sectors work and common common board. There are certain key key areas When we talk about the sanitary measures the physical distances measures and so forth that we may not compromise on but there are areas That are very intricate to the business and we need to look at the best mix and the best solution So we've been working with all the sectors in terms of ensuring that the protocols are their protocols and not our protocols And that they can be implemented. All right It's not a situation where a visitor now can just simply say let me go rent a car in the next month Just because we've announced that we'll be having training for the car rental sector. Yes, so that has been made clear minister in terms of the figures when we look at the government response to COVID-19 in the provision of the quarantine facilities and and all of the supporting Activity that goes along with that how much money has been spent on the Direct COVID response from the government. Well, the number I saw for the Ministry of Health alone was 31 million dollars I know that there were a lot of other monies to go into the social Revitalization program the economic stimulus program as well would have attracted several millions There was 24 million to the the income support program which targets the unemployed individuals within the informal sector and When you look at what NIC is doing, it's ranging from anywhere between 31 to 80 million So when you add up the numbers, it's it's a significant chunk of money that the government would have had to find looking at the national feeding program the Ministry of Agriculture as well had some allocation to support the local farmers and You know, it has been a significant Draining of the resources of government if you will but it's been a rather difficult situation to manage both economically Emotionally and psychologically it has caused the cabinet and Other leaders in the civil service a lot of sleepless nights and a lot of work to ensure that we Respond to this adequately. It has not been an easy feat you would have heard the Minister of Finance and Prime Minister indicated that The revenue in government went from 110 to 50 million. I think average I hope that they're doing a little better than that now, but it's been a rather rather difficult task in make sureing That that all of this is done I want to say thank you so much. But before we close off potting words, Mr. Ragnan I just want to continue to encourage every single one that COVID is a reality What I've seen is there's a tendency to let down the guard too soon and I want to appeal to all solution to continue to be on heightened alert and Take the precautionary measures to protect in yourself and your families St. Lucia has opened the borders. I know that Some of the measures are difficult I find it difficult to wear a mask all the time Something I've had to do over the last four or five months. I'm getting used to it now But even then it's a challenge But these are important measures and we need to to be on our guard at all times to to to observe In the basic what we call the basic protocols the basic measures to safeguard in ourselves and the health of our family We as as a country are looking at the whole Opening of the borders as a matter of fact just before coming here this morning I had a meeting and a walkthrough at the George FL just Charles airport because we are looking at The original travel and reopening that airport in itself and looking at what it is that we can put in place In terms of ensuring safety of all we are slowly Reopening the borders. I mean the seaports for example. We are open to yachts at this point in time There's a big appeal to looking at the ferries and and later down in the year the cruise ship But we need to continue to take very small steps baby steps and to constantly evaluate assess and To be ready to make adjustments as necessary And we would continue to work with all partners in ensuring that we do so in a very responsible way Yeah, well, I just want to say that We've just presided over a very successful seven days of our reopening Some 500 tourists we've been able to repatriate hundreds of our nationals who have come in and who have been put on the managed quarantine situations We have been able to return some 1400 hotel employees back to work 500 taxi drivers and dozens others in the indirect sector Companies that trade with tourism So I think all in all it's been a good week for the recovery of the economy and when we wait against the risk so far All we know is that there has been one positive case But that case was in a quarantine facility So there was very little chance of there being a community spread as a result of it We continue to work in the best interest of the people of st. Lucia testing all of the People that are coming in from risk areas We are working with hotels to ensure that their protocols are well managed as well and we continue to manage our quarantine facilities To the extent where we would have to stagger the return of the influx of returning nationals Especially those coming from high-risk areas and all in all St. Lucia continues to do very well St. Lucia continues to have a resounding success in the management of its covert response All right. Thank you so much there mister the chief environmental officer within the Ministry of Health with Parker Ragnan and Minister for tourism information broadcasting and culture and creative industries on about Dominic Fadie just to Re-emphasize for you since the opening from July 9th to the July 16 We've had a hundred and seventeen individuals who are in the home quarantine Those who are quarantined at the government facilities. We have 254 and a covert certified hotels. We have 476 and Airport swabs meaning people who were tested right there at the airport for one reason or another That number is 20 so it looks like we are off to a very good start and continuing to remain safe as we do so Want to thank you so much. We hope that the information has been very valuable to you pass it on I am Mr. Joseph signing off from the information command center until next time