Increasing reports of non-compliance by hotels and guesthouses to Covid-19 protocols  – NEMO

Proprietors of hotels and guesthouses in St Vincent and the Grenadines who fail to enforce quarantine protocols have been warned that they may be removed from the list of approved accommodations or referred to the police.

A release from the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) on December 26 said some proprietors of approved accommodations have been allowing visitors to enter the rooms of persons under quarantine.

“The Health Services Sub-Committee notes with continued concern the increasing  reports of proprietors of approved accommodations allowing visitors to enter the  rooms of persons under quarantine and other breaching of the quarantine protocols.  Proprietors who fail to enforce the quarantine protocols on their properties will be  removed from the list of approved accommodations.

“Proprietors of hotels and guesthouses which are not on the list of approved  accommodations for quarantine and still house or entertain guests who should be in  quarantine, may be referred to the police for breaching of the Public Health Act. The  public is reminded that the penalty for breaking quarantine is $2000 ECD for each  day of the breach,” the release dated December 26 said.

The release said the recent increase in the number of reports of non-compliance with home  quarantine re-emphasizes the critical need for the new “Protocol for Travellers to St  Vincent and the Grenadines” which became effective on December 23, 2020. This  protocol requires that all travelers from high risk countries spend the 10  days of their mandatory quarantine in an approved accommodation.

Meanwhile, on December 26, St Vincent and the Grenadines confirmed an additional new COVID-19 case.

The  adult traveller is a national who arrived from the United States on December 19 with  a negative PCR test result and tested positive on day 5. The traveller was in mandatory quarantine at the time of receipt of the result and will be isolated until  cleared by two negative tests. Contact tracing and testing have commenced.

St Vincent and the Grenadines has now recorded a total of 109 COVID-19 cases, 87 of which have recovered. There are now 22 active COVID-19 cases imported from high risk countries.