Point of View: How to navigate coronavirus disruption in travel

Photo: Maridav/123rf

By Frank Martin

The islands of Granada and Dominica that still remained at the beginning of March on the fringes of the COVID-19 pandemic confirmed their first positive cases of COVID-19.

At the time of writing this story, even Belize and Saint Kitts and Nevis had not yet reported cases of contagion with the coronavirus.

Granada broke its fragile calm over the pandemic when a woman fell ill on March 16 after visiting Britain.

Another 54-year-old traveler to London also fell ill on his homeisland Dominica.

Due to the way the disease is spread, doctors do not expect Belize or Saint Kitts and Nevis to remain free of the coronavirus.

It’s not just luck what it takes

Governments and entrepreneurs linked to the crucial industry in the Caribbean have not sat down to wait for destiny either

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) urged, for example, to take advantage of the measures applied and investments to stop COVID-19 so that recovery after the health disaster is fast and effective.

CHTA officials, its president Patricia Affonso-Dass and its general director Frank Comito, predicted that no matter what happens, the tourism industry will strengthen again after the pandemic has passed.

The Caribbean Hotels and Tourism Association (CHTA) urged to take advantage of the resources that have been established to contain the spread of the virus in the region, and reminded the world of the proven capacity of the Caribbean tourism sector to recover from adversity.

For its part, the Health Agency (CARPHA) revealed that it will begin to develop monitoring, education and awareness initiatives around this resurgence.

CARPHA has worked to guarantee the occupational safety of employees in the regional sector.

Along with coronavirus defense measures, travel notices, airline and hotel cancellations, and other notices have been updated to help reduce losses.

A Caribbean concept is that there is considerable experience in the states of the area in managing interruptions and risks when facing hurricanes and other natural disasters, in addition to severe global economic tensions.

The expectation is not to hope that luck favors, but rather that the region be ready to receive millions of tourists again when COVID-19 is defeated.

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