Prime Minister’s Media Conference – Thursday 12th January, 2023

Prime Minister Dr the Hon. Keith Rowley is calling on members of the public to practice personal responsibility during the ongoing Carnival season.

Dr Rowley urged caution in light of the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases reported by the Ministry of Health.

The Prime Minister was speaking during a media conference held at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s today (Thursday 12th January, 2023) when he made the comments.

Dr Rowley said, “We are going into a Carnival where the nature of Carnival is meeting and mixing. We do not believe that the situation warrants us to not have Carnival, but we believe that it warrants us taking personal decisions about your exposure to minimise instances of the requirement for healthcare delivery to you.”

Prime Minister Rowley assured that the Government will continue to monitor and manage the spread of the virus, and does not intend to disrupt travel, the economy or Carnival given the high level of COVID-19 immunity in the population. He stated that the Government is prepared to act “if the increased numbers become threatening with respect to our ability to provide the care that would be required.”

Dr Rowley noted that Trinidad and Tobago has been impacted by “all the variants of concern to us and of course, the one that is causing most of the problems in the United States is already here with us.”

When asked if the Government intends to impose any COVID-19 travel restrictions at this time, the Prime Minister said it is not “a necessary response” and that the Government’s response would be to suppress the spread of the virus.

The Prime Minister is encouraging the population to follow all COVID-19 protocols and get vaccinated.