The Government of Grenada says while its decision toย cancel the 2020 Carnival celebrations might be an unpopular one, it is a wise choiceย intended to protect public health and safety in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister, Dr. the Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell, who tabled the COVID-19 Cancellation ofย Carnival August Celebrations Bill 2020, at a meeting of the House of Representatives onย Wednesday, said Government must act in the best interest of public health.
In 2019, 13,327 visitors arrived in Grenada during the Carnival period. The figureย represented an increase of almost 1,000 visitors over 2018 statistics. Further, many ofย these visitors had already booked tickets to return for the 2020 celebrations.
Dr. Mitchell said the financially prudent decision would be to stage the festival, especiallyย in light of the significant drop in revenue as a result of three months of no productivity dueย to the lockdown. However, as a responsible government, they must protect the gains theyย have made so far. โWhat would the revenue mean to government, when the people theย government is supposed to protect get infected, and some even go through serious illnessย that can affect them for life or even cause their death?โ
Throwing her full support behind the bill, Tourism Minister, Hon. Clarice Modeste Curwenย said while carnival has made Grenada a competitive destination, we cannot throw awayย the gains made through collective sacrifice of the past few months. โAs much as we likeย carnival, and as much as it does for the economy, I beg everyone, let us comply, and letย us leave the jab for a while. Next year will be bigger and better for us, but we have toย make the sacrifice now.โ
Minister for Health, Hon. Nickolas Steele said tabling the bill is not the desire of a cruel,ย authoritarian government, nor is it a political policy. โWe are a responsible government,ย and as such, we are not prepared to play Russian roulette with the lives of our citizens.โ
The Prime Minister had earlier made reference to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)ย Control Bill 2020, which was withdrawn from Wednesdayโs agenda after public concernย over some aspects of that bill. He affirmed Governmentโs intention to undertake publicย consultation. โLetโs work together, the government erred in not allowing for sufficientย consultation, we admit this, and like the Minister of Legal Affairs said, we will improve onย that aspect. It is our error, we accept it but assure you that there was no bad intention.ย We will not want to interfere with the fundamental rights of any citizen. But let us comeย together to build our country and let us unite to protect each other.โ
