Prime Minister Mia Mottley has defended the COVID-19 travel protocols saying that mandatory testing was not always practical.
Presently, visitors to the island’s shores are allowed to take a COVID-19 PCR test from an accredited facility 72 hours prior to travelling. While testing prior to arrival is not mandatory the protocol states that such travellers will be required to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival.
Over the last weekend Barbados recorded an additonal 12 positive cases of COVDI-19. Ten persons out of the 12 were housed in isolation centers across the island.
While many believe that testing for the novel coronavirus should be mandatory before travelling to the island, Prime Minister Mia Mottley hinted that such a requirement, while ideal, it was not always practical.
In a recent press conference held Wednesday, August 5th, she stated that “With respect to the issue of mandatory testing, we have said that we strongly encourage people to test, but I also know that the test which the Barbados government uses is of a certain quality and therefore we have no difficulty in testing persons when they come. Part of the difficulty is people’s ability to access tests within a timely frame.