(Trinidad Guardian) – Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has announced the removal of the Safe Zone system from April 4 and a change in the requirement of PCR tests to enter T&T to Antigen tests, from today.
The announcements were made at a news conference on Saturday following a meeting with the health team on Friday.
The measures announced are:
– The removal of requirement of having person coming into country with only PCR changes to Antigen test. Status still needs to be known – from Sunday 27 March
– Doing away with Safe Zone operations – from Monday April 4
– Removal of all restrictions regarding rivers and beaches – from Monday April 4
– No more limits to public gatherings – from Monday April 4
Asked about public fetes, the prime minister replied, “We have removed the restrictions and from the 4th of April, you will be required to control yourselves.”
He added that police will no longer be out saying “turn off the music”.
“We are not telling you don’t party, don’t have a beer, don’t go to a bar…the government is no longer telling you what to do,” Dr Rowley said.
He added that that the requirement to wear masks in public spaces continues except in sporting activities.
“The response now that is required is not the same response that was required in mid last year,” he said.
The prime minister, however, warned that the country was not fully yet at a place where life could continue without caution.
“We in T&T can say that our situation has considerably improved but we can not say that the pandemic is over,” he said.
The prime minister thanked all members of the health sector, saying they rose to the challenge in dealing with the effects of the pandemic.
He said the experts who looked into the health sector found nothing to support political and other claims that the loss of life was due to the clinical management of patients at the hospitals.
“There was absolutely no shortcoming of those who committed themselves to the Hippocratic oath,” Dr Rowley said.
