The Venezuelan national who died of COVID-19 on Friday evening was granted “special dispensation” to work days after his arrival in Antigua.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the man, who lived in El Salvador, travelled to Antigua a week ago “to provide urgent technical maintenance work at the Antigua Power Company.”
“So a special dispensation had to be made for him to go to work after a few days,” Browne said.
He said the man had also arrived in Antigua with a negative PCR test but tested positive days later.
“My understanding is that he had symptoms but did not initially seek medical attention,” the Prime Minister said.
“I’m told too that he may have even sought to get over-the-counter medication to treat the condition.
“In any case, he took ill and was taken to Mount St. John Hospital and literally died within 24 hours of his arrival,” Browne added.
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“So a special dispensation had to be made for him to go to work after a few days,” Browne said.
Does the law allow for a special dispensation? Who granted the special dispensation? So a person who arrives in A&B for a work-related purpose, is less susceptible to COVID-19 than other travellers? How many more travellers were granted a similar special dispensation? Will the workers at APC and their families be quarantined
There is a double standard in Antigua.Nationals returning home have to be quarantined for 14 days.So why was a special dispensation given to the Company.To allow this man to come into Antigua and go to work.He was tested negative before he came into Antigua.So did he contracted the Virus while in Antigua? I have listened to Gaston Browne’s remark into this matter.He seems to think that if the man had an underlying health issue.Then that would be taken into consideration.To determine if that was a contributor to his death instead of Covid-19.Gaston Browne,regardless if he had an underlying health issue or not.He had Covid-19.That is what he died from.End of story.Check all other countries and their Covid-19 deaths.Most persons had underlying health issues.You are wondering.Why Barbados put the squeeze on Antigua and Barbuda.It is because of you,Gaston Browne.Yes,you and no one else.
That testing negative 7 days or a few days before arrival means nothing
He could have contracted it after taking the test or tested before viral load was high enough to detect or contracted it in the airport
That’s why you have to test AND quarantine EVERYONE
EVERYONE!!!! Nationals, tourists, students, special workers. EVERYONE!!!
Guy we simply cannot DT PCR test all persons entering the island. Showed you already that though BDS tries, its proving to be too overwhelming a task. Results are coming back in many instances 10 days or more after the person is on island. Preventing covid as you yourself admitted cannot simply be based on testing since a negative result does not mean the person does not have covid. Could be the test was not done in-correctly, or as you stated the person’s viral load was too low at the time. Quarantining is far more effective a tool hence why its a major part of the process. Anyway, what is more useful in preventing covid is persons adhering to the health protocols (masks, social distancing if possible, hand washing). If testing alone prevented covid, Trump and many of the staff at the US Whitehouse who are tested daily, would not have gotten it
This quarantine thing is ah joke!
My question is: why make exceptions to the quarantine rules ? Regardless of whatever circumstances … the protocols SHOULD BE FOR ALL….NO EXCETIONS ! We are playing a risky game here. How many persons are placed at risk because of just one foolish act. Come on ! Got to use the capital sense if you lack the common ones.
Peoples’ lives matter, uh. Money does NOT die ! Humans do !
We are in a crisis that will only get worse. The world is in a desperate spiral doom. The heart of man gets more vicious and wicked each day.
Time to wake up, my people.
WORLD “CRYSIS”: END SOON COME !
You hear #Rasishness!
Had Antigua classified as a high risk country
So they don’t quarantine or test tourists and they give “special dispensations” to God only knows how many other people.
Incompetence and greed
How many coworkers did he infect? How many stores did he visit? Did he get involved with any lady friends while here?
The man literally could have spread COVID to a hundred people and then they spread it to thousands more.
Because this government refuses to act rationally in the middle of a darned pandemic.
And the leader has the nerve to complain because Barbuda distant want to risk her people
Why are we still unable to test visitors on arrival? Barbados can test every international visitor on arrival and then a second time several days later but we are unable to test anyone arriving. WHY??? Are we that incompetent or incapable? WHY?
said Antigua can’t test every visitor on arrival because some tourists threatened to sue because they didn’t want to be tested
Makes a lot of sense
Incompetent and greedy leader
He went to a pharmacy to get over the counter meds. Which one????
Who was in front of him and behind him on line at the pharmacy?
This certainly does not inspire confidence in the propaganda numbers put out by Dr Sir Molwyn and his tag-along (CMO). If we r granting special dispensation to some ppl to go mingling in the general population, how can we state the number of affected persons with any degree of certainty? If there is a resulting outbreak from this special dispensation Dr Sir Molwyn, and/or whoever is responsible for granting it, should be held personally liable
I’M getting so tired of this Boneheaded Prime Minster I’m ALP. Maybe time for me to look elsewhere . He’s like a damn Authoritarian now. He do what he wants no matter how unfair it seems chuups !
They want us to believe there are only 3 active cases and only 4 deaths when they are:
1. Letting in thousands of tourists each month from high COVID areas without testing or quarantining them
and
2. Apparently letting in workers (and God only knows who else) from high COVID areas without quarantining them under “special dispensation”
The health minister need a math teacher to enlighten the dashboard people about subsets. If you only target pink marbles, you cannot comment on white marbles. Even if couple white marble nearby, you keep your comments on the pink.
You see why having CSEC math as important as having CSEC English? The ministry just needs a math teacher and a translator.
A person can contract the virus from a surface area on the very plane that brings them to A&B. That means, given the stated incubation period of 7 – 14 days, that passenger could test positive 14 days after travelling to A&B
All the comments are valid. The authorities have endangered the nation. I will complain but in the mean time I wear my mask, social distancing and wash or sanitize my hands.
Which Ministry and or Minister authorized the “special dispensation” for this man to come into Antigua and work, immediately.Without being in quarantine for 14 days. That is the Protocol and or Pradacal in Antigua.Or that only applies to returning Nationals and or Residences of Antigua and Barbuda.
Welcome to Antigua!
Now we know the real reason for tye knighthood. To give these special dispensations, and hide them from the public, while blaming the public for not following policies and threatening to jail them.
I agree with most posters. This double standard is costing us more than we can afford.
The wealth priviledge
This is the same privilege that was extended for a funeral.
Money seems to make the RISK disappear.
Remember they said even the GG and all ministers must quarantine?
Those who make the rules can break the rules and change the rules for conviences, the rikers of the slave is to obey not question things….
How come Michael Browne is the only person of privilege who has to quarantine? It’s unfair to Michael Browne. Free Michael Browne!!!
Covid is no respecter of Persons – class, creed or race. There should be no “Special Dispensation” given to anybody, irrespective of who orders it. God only knows just how many otherwise healthy residents this covid-sick special agent could have affected. This is totally unacceptable!!!
AND YOU STILL SAY BARBADOS DECISION WASN’T RIGHT/FAIR . BARBADOS PRIME MINISTER IS ON POINT. IGNORE THE FOOLS
Gaston must have a hotline to COVID central. He obviously told COVID HQ that he given special dispensation to the Venezuelan worker and expected COVID to bypass him. Gaston again showing there are rules for them and rules for the rest of us. With any luck Gaston too, his comrades and his entire family will have the distinguished pleasure of meeting COVID.
All Gaston does is show us that he is a dictator and we are nothing but his pawns to do as he likes.
Vote out the cancerous Gaston and his regime. Get our country back.
I wanna see you all sitting in the dark because the power is off and how you complain…
Than die of COVID or need a lung transplant or have chronic life-long morbidity due to COVID
or see the same happen to anyone else here
WHAT A STUPID STUPID DECISION THAT ONE DECISION MIGHT JUST ERASE ALL YOUR SO CALL GAINS .
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