Prime Minister’s Media Conference – Wednesday 23rd December, 2020

Prime Minister Dr the Hon. Keith Rowley has appealed to the business community to continue to adhere to the COVID-19 protocol regulations. The Prime Minister called on the management of these businesses to enforce sanitisation, physical distancing and to limit the number of persons in stores to prevent the spread of the virus.

Dr Rowley made the comments during a media conference held at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s today (Wednesday 23rd December, 2020).

No changes to the existing COVID-19 Regulations were announced at today’s media conference. The existing regulations have been extended to the 10th January, 2021.

The Prime Minister also appealed to Trinidadians heading to Tobago for the Christmas period to be responsible. Dr Rowley said law enforcement officers will be out in their numbers as it will not be “a free-up zone”.

Dr Rowley said, once the World Health Organization designates a suitable COVID-19 vaccine it will be administered in Trinidad and Tobago and that he would be the first in line to take the vaccine.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram said the Ministry of Health will adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach with regard to the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine against the emergence of a new strain of the virus in the United Kingdom.

Minister of National Security, the Hon. Stuart Young confirmed that 150 farm workers in Canada will be repatriated on a Caribbean Airlines flight on the 28th December, 2020.

Minister Young said the total number of exemptions granted to enter Trinidad and Tobago as of December 23rd, 2020 is 9,557.

Prime Minister Rowley thanked all the frontline workers for their service for 2020 and wished the national community a Merry Christmas.