LETTER: Stop Fooling the People

17
It will all eventually come out in the wash but this Government must stop fooling the people and raising their hopes.
The greatest disservice has been done by the Minister and Director of Tourism.
AA coming on 4th June. What a joke. This plane will primarily be bringing Antiguans and Barbudans and maybe business people. It will initially take back stranded Americans. Then that is that. There will be no mass tourism, at least not for many months. For this AA flight people have to get a Covid-19 test 48 hours before flying. Have the officials here seen the lines for the Covid test in Miami? Which tourist will want to endure that? And what happens if the lines are too long and you cannot get the test 48 hours before?
Eli Fuller posted on his Facebook page, a sample of a mini survey he did asking what people would be looking for in a vacation to Antigua. The answer: How many Covid-19 beds and doctors are available in Antigua. In other words, even before a thought of travelling people want to know what will happen if they get sick. Can we cope with a local and tourist ourbreak?
Florida, NY and the UK are current Covid-19 hotspots, with the highest infected rates in the world.  Do we really want flights coming from those areas? What is the rush? This is our off season period, any way.
Will someone be willing to sit with a mask on for 8 hours on a flight from the UK? And with social distancing those flights will increase by at least 50 to 68% for the airlines to break even.
And then there are the Cruise ships selling cruises at US$35 now over subscribed. Who wants a $35 tourist? Outside of the head tax what will be the benefit? And these will obviously be people at the bottom of the economic scale, which could mean that we may be exposing our people to more Covid.
Cayman Islands has said n to cruise ships maybe until year end. The Government has said that they will not be rushed into doing the wrong thing..
Let us get real. Antigua needs people who can think outside the box and who understand that this is no longer business as usual.
Reds

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17 COMMENTS

  1. All I care about at this point is that they give the people who are stranded here a chance to get back home.

  2. ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA HAS DONE A TERRIBLE JOB GETTING ITS OWN PEOPLE BACK HOME THAT ARE STRANDED. ATLEAST LET THE ANTIGUA NATIONALS COME HOME! THEY CAN QUARANTINE INNA DEM YARD. AS A NURSE WORKING IN THE US AND WHO IS IMMUNE SYSTEM IS COMPROMISED I STILL GET UP AND GO TO WORK EACH DAY. I WEAR A MASK FOR 16HRS A DAY. CONSTANTLY WASH MY HANDS OR SANITIZE.

    • In which country are there loads of Antigua and Barbuda citizens “stranded”??? No mention of students in Jamaica who were recently brought home? You just focus on the negative. Gwarn gah pray.

  3. Mr. PM, you and your ministers please stop playing God with people life over the dollar signs. The economy will catch itself according to God plans for Antigua and Barbuda. Yes, the people who depend on tourism (like myself) for a daily living are affected the most but right now life and health matter most. According to the health and medical scientists, this world epidemic virus have 3 waves and from I understand we only experience one wave so far. Once countries begin to open up their borders for travelers, they will then experience the second wave of the COVID-19 which will be more deadly and highest death rate. Let us continue to pray for those in authorities that they seek the face of God for guidance when it comes to governing.

  4. Writer Sandals Antigua is set to open June 4th. Is it your argument that Stewart is perpetrating a lie? He is bringing them in on a magic carpet and not an airline? There is no 35.00 a nigh cruise from the US to ANU. There was a initial offering (early bird) from Galveston Texas to Cozumel Mexico, which offered an extremely low rate. If the writer were to check, he/she would learn that offer came with many conditions and is no longer available. If the writer had any experience in marketing he would known this is done to stire interest, a promotional method which is used globally (eg first 100 to buy a ticket…). Clearly the writer of this letter is a confused person.

    • Well put. It will be a requirement for tourists who come to the islands to provide proof of a negative covid test. Without it they will not be allowed entry in the flight to ANU. Practicing social distance, hand sanitizing and personal hygiene measures will greatly reduce risk of transmission. The economy needs growth, stimulus. Opening tourism is smart business to benefit all on many levels. The protocols being put in place for tourist industry is spot on. Well done Antigua.

    • The comment about people at the bottom of the economic scale = exposing people to more Covid took me out! So having little money means you have a greater chance at contracting Covid???? This virus does not discriminate! Also, most countries are still not testing people without symptoms. Sick people are still struggling to get tested!

    • Sandals will probably be bringing in the guess on Butch’s yacht as no airline is bringing tourists to Antigua. With social distancing and the requirement to wear masks, who is going to sit on an airplane for hours under those conditions.

  5. I don’t feel sorry for some off u who are stuck in the land of gold and honey as u call it. Cause when some y’all reach r foreign y’all sit on social media and bash antiguan pple foh bout minister nah send for he pple things bad now in the land u once praised now u wanna run back? Ask Trump fuh senf are u back

    • Land of milk and honey… Hahaha everything is imported in this welfare state…. Always begging the world for money.. please forgive our loans oh please give us money white masta… Land of milk and honey

      • Then wha mek aru ah bwsl fu come back to the welfare state then? Tap wid Trump since he ah look after aru

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  8. The worst part of all this is that while things were good before the virus and Antigua was living off the fat of the land there was no preparation for the future. Isn’t there supposed to be an emergency fund? If there isn’t, why not? Why didn’t the island prepare for some kind of disaster by instituting a small transaction tax– 0.5% on all cruise packages, airline tickets, hotel stays, and anything else tourist related? The island should have done so decades ago and not touched it. Then we would not be in such dire straights now. Such a heart breaking situation!

    • Antigua Government don’t save for rainy day. Whenever they see big surplus in any ministry, they take it out to pay salaries and wages, and other expenditures.

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