Prime Minister Gaston Browne is denying discrimination in the enforcement of coronavirus prevention measures.
He made the remarks today while presenting a resolution to the House of Assembly for the extension of the State of Emergency for another three months to October 31st, 2020.
The Prime Minister said however, that returning nationals are more capable of spreading the virus “and that is why the Cabinet decided that the returning nationals who are going into the communities should also take an additional covid test on arrival.”
Browne said some people have interpreted this as discriminatory but he said “it is not discriminatory in any way.”
“What we are trying to do is to prevent community spread,” he added.
Browne told the Lower House that visitors to the country must also follow the protocols.
“And this nonsense that we have two sets of protocols, one for visitors and one for locals is utter nonsense. If a tourist comes here and ends up in St. John’s without a mask, law enforcement has every right and is expected to charge that tourist.
We have never made any law to the extent that tourists could roam our country and disrespect our protocols but these are the arguments we hear coming from so called intelligent people in the society.”
Antigua & Barbuda currently has 21 active cases of the coronavirus.
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Yes there is two sets of rules, and yes it is discriminatory!!!
First rule: Tourists don’t have to quarantine, BUT we do!!! We can’t even travel to another island for two days!!! We have to quarantine when we get back, even with a negative test.
Second rule: Tourists don’t have to take a second test, but we do!!!!
Does all this sounds equal? Not to me!
I don’t mind if I have to take 2, or even 3 tests, but stop that stupid quarantine.
What about that travel bubble??? No more news about it!
If you go to St Marteen, and you are Antiguan, you don’t need a test, and you don’t need to quarantine.
Guadeloupe, just asks for a negative test, not older than 72 hours.
State of Emergency…LOL, emergency of what? Emergency of letting planes in from the US eveyday, that’s for sure!
The Prime Minister cannot be serious when he says that the protocols are applied equally to residents and tourists alike. There have been so many reported examples of the difference in treatment meted out to returning residents and tourists at the VC Bird Airport. When two american tourists recently insisted that they would not subject themselves to the nasopharyngeal swab test or they would sue the government, the Prime Minister and his government immediately surrendered our sovereignty to the tourists and gave into their crazy and illogical position. Now let us wait and see what will happen if law enforcement muster the courage to follow the law and arrest a tourist (particularly an american one) who is seen travelling around the island without the required face mask. In this scenario it will be interesting to see what will be the Prime Minister’s position.
Chuck, Didn’t you notice the PM already said tourists are to be “charged and arrested”. Do your research, please.
@David K. Lock up those Tourists.Then they would all stop coming to Antigua and go else where.Then what? Many more persons would be on the breadline.
David K. I am aware that the Prime Minister said that tourists should be arrested if they breach our covid 19 protocols. My focus, however, is on his possible reaction if law enforcement actually arrested a tourist (particularly an american) for breach of the protocols. As I said I would like to see what would be the Prime Minister’s reaction then towards the fallout from such an incident. And don’t get me wrong, just like you and me tourists should also obey our laws.
What is the real reason for the continuation of the State of Emergency?Is Antigua and Barbuda a Police/Military State.If so,why.There was a State of Emergency back in 1968.It lasted a matter of days.Because we the people stood up and be counted.We were not afraid of the Police and the Military.What were the differences between us then and us now?Where have all those Antiguans and Barbudans with spines gone?It would appear that we stand for nothing.We have become dependent on Politicians for almost all things.We need to stop taking and depending on hand outs.We as a Nation need to grow a pair.Use your imagination.
Black-Man
Where did all those brave people go? It’s been 52 years. They probably are all dead now.
The real question is why are we so passive today? Perhaps programming from our schools and TV. I’m not sure but we need to find out. It isn’t good for our country.
No need for the extension of state of emergency! We should stand up against it
Agreed. He’s a dictator and his regime doing just that.
If you want to know what a real dictator is like, take a closer look at TRUMP and his buddy, PUTIN. We are not under that kind of leadership. Praise God.
Give it a rest. You must be a supporter of the demonrats.
You sound like you’re an avid consumer of CNN lies.
The State of emergency extension is necessary to stop irresponsible behavior into the early hours, which could impact community spread significantly. The present curfew keeps the community safer from Covid19 and rampant crime
Is this the same man that change the country’s protocol because a few tourists threatened to take the Government to court and was afraid of the bad press? Imagine the negative press coverage should that be the case.
After the dictator opened up the borders, this is the result. All because he can’t replace the funds that he and his regime “misappropriated” via creative enrichment.
We don’t have the balls to lock up tourists that are caught in possession of ammunition, how will we lock up those without a mask
Anyway the prison warden and the GG will just let them go after serving a day in jail so me nah know how we and dem a go work this out,
SO IM TRAVELING TO ANTIGUA ON SATURDAY N GETTING MY COVID TEST N THE RESULTS DONE FRIDAY.SO I’M SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT INVASIVE PROSIDURE DONE TWICE IN 24 HOURS TWICE IN 24 HOURS N SOME FOLKS JUST WALK RIGHT IN. I came to Antigua for 3 days on business they check everything but the white folks walk right through with no search . WAITING FOR THE ZEBRA TO CHANGE IT’S STRIPES IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN! !
With this latest extension of this stupid lockdown, now until October 31, it finally appears that Gaston Brown has gone insane and become a full blown dictator. I don’t know about the rest of my fellow Antiguan but I’be had enough of this nonsense. Do you want to live in a police state? I know that I won’t have any part of it.
I have been saying that a long time now. The dictator only has his personal gain at his interest not the country or its citizens. The Gaston regime must be voted out.
Time to teach the ABLP a lesson. They shouldn’t be returned to power for the abuse of the people during this overly extended lockdown.
Let’s see if the UPP has learned anything about how to run a country and treat the people.
That’s the only hope we have now. If they don’t, then we vote them out too and keep flip flopping them in and out until one by one each party member starts working and representing the citizens instead of having their personal agendas. This cronyism has to stop and it starts with us people.
Why the PM always have to be telling the police how to do their job.
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