Antigua expresses solidarity with Barbados as COVID-19 cases surge

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, has assured the Mia Mottley administration that he will not be prohibiting travel to and from Barbados as the nation grapples with a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Browne, in a letter to his Barbadian counterpart on Sunday, said that he was “deeply troubled to learn of recent events in Barbados that have cause a sudden surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, despite all the diligence and careful protocols that your government implemented to ensure that the virus does not spread in the community.”

He added that the situation in Barbados will be brought under control and new measures will be implemented to stop a recurrence as “your health authorities and law enforcement agencies have acted swiftly to address the problem.”

“Apart from expressing my solidarity with you, the purpose of this letter is to advise that, while our border authorities will continue rigid adherence to our protocols for entry into Antigua and Barbuda, we will not be prohibiting travel from and to Barbados.”

The Antiguan prime minister pledged his government’s “readiness to be of any help that we are capable of giving to the government and people of Barbados at this difficult time. Barbados is not alone.”

Browne’s letter comes in the aftermath of concerns expressed in November by his Foreign Minister, Everly Paul ‘Chet’ Greene, when the Mottley administration placed Antigua and Barbuda on a list of countries deemed medium risk for COVID-19.

Greene then said the position taken by Barbados was unacceptable based on his country’s COVID-19 figures.

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