Prime Minister Allen Chastanet. Photo courtesy CARICOM.
CASTRIES, St. Lucia--Prime Minister (PM) Allen Chastanet has been reassuring St. Lucians locally regarding a decision to open the country’s borders on June 4.
He told the House of Assembly Tuesday that the decision came after much deliberation, consultation and review of available data.
“I must take this opportunity, however, to reassure St. Lucians locally that the decision to open our borders and to repatriate St. Lucians from overseas has many conditions attached to it,” the prime minister stated.
“We have engaged the airlines and are relying heavily on them to be very robust partners to ensure that there is a contaminant-free corridor between when a passenger leaves their country of origin to their arrival in St. Lucia,” he explained.
According to Chastanet, all people coming into St. Lucia will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test result within 48 hours of travel.
He also disclosed that strict measures of physical distancing will be enforced.
“Further, there will be enhanced monitoring at our ports as well as mandatory quarantine measures for people arriving,” he told Parliament.
“We, however, remain cautious that with such a reopening comes the dangers of possible spread of the virus,” the PM explained.
“The entire world is grappling with how best to reopen. Economies are crashing, businesses are closing, thousands have become unemployed,” he observed.
“St. Lucia has not been spared from this economic fallout. We cannot remain stagnant. We must be vigilant in our preparation for a new normal but must also be cognisant of the risks that lie ahead,” Chastanet declared. ~ St. Lucia Times ~
