Advertisement 87
Advertisement 211
Former Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell in a 2017 iWitness News photo.
Former Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell in a 2017 iWitness News photo.
Advertisement 219

Former Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell has described as nonsense the policy of the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines that demands that vaccinated persons arriving in the country undergo COVID-19 quarantine.

“Who will come to St. Vincent to help us recover with our tourism from the volcano disaster if we have this kind of protocol in place? Who will want to come here?” Sir James said recently on Boom FM.

“I would want to go to Barbados and then have to come back to St. Vincent even though I have my certificate [for them] to tell me I have to go into quarantine? Come on! What kind of nonsense is that? And even if you have it done, we can’t have anything for discrimination between the foreigners and ourselves. Come on!”

Sir James, an hotelier, made the point as he urged Vincentians to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

He noted that the United Kingdom has said that if its citizens visit certain countries they have to quarantine on return.

Advertisement 21

“To come to St. Vincent now, if even you are fully vaccinated — that is the word they have from NEMO and the circulation from the health ministry — if you are fully vaccinated, you have to quarantine for seven days. What the hell is the vaccine for?

“We don’t believe it? Or are we saying that people are corrupt and they get a certificate that is not trusted? It’s a matter of trust. Do you trust the certification in England? Do you trust the certification in Canada, do you trust the certificate in Cuba. If you are fully vaccinated, you must quarantine for seven days.”

Sir James said that what is more, a vaccinated person wanting to travel to St. Vincent must take a COVID test within 72 hours before they arrive.

“Then you must take another test when you arrive at Argyle,” he said, adding that the person must then take another test while in quarantine.

“What nonsense is that? What nonsense is that? I am so upset about the state of St. Vincent that I don’t want to drag into all of these rational arguments when the worries are so emotional,” Sir James said.

“But, nevertheless, facts are facts. Would you, as an Englishwoman, come to St. Vincent with a certificate and to go into quarantine for seven days and you have to take a test in England before you leave, even though you have a vaccine certificate?

“And then, you have to take a test when you arrive in Argyle. But when you are leaving England, these vaccine certificates that we’re getting free out here is 180 pounds in England, US$120 in Miami. Those are the facts. I know I had a test in Mustique and I was surprised when my partner over there tell me she had to pay for my test,” the former prime minister said. 

The lastestCOVID-19 protocols now say that fully vaccinated persons only have to quarantine for 48 hours.

12 replies on “Quarantine for vaccinated people is ‘nonsense’ — Sir James”

  1. Gregg Francois says:

    I believe that even fully vaccinated people like myself should still be tested When traveling to another country. Tested on leaving and on arrival elsewhere. This extra measure would be a safeguard in the event of forged documentation.

  2. Hashtag Prince says:

    Here is a simple safe Policy to implement for Vaccinated Travellers:

    1. ARRIVE WITH A VALID PCR TEST

    2. QUARANTINE FOR 24 HOURS

    3. TAKE ANOTHER PCR TEST with results within 24 Hrs

    4. GO ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS

  3. Due to the work I do, I cannot take more than 7 days leave at a time.
    I am in the UK and will get my 2nd vacine dose at the end of the month.

    Sir James is correct, I would not want to spend 2 days in quarantine knowing I have been fully vacanated.
    A Lateral Flow test on arrival, gives a result in under an hour. I would be happy to take such a test and go about my business should it return negative.

    As things stand, I will be visiting Barbados where my wife’s family is from and bypass St Vincent for this year.

    Ev

  4. This COVID-19 thing is a money making thing and a day and night robbery if I had known that I have to go through all this I would not of taken the dam thing to me i wasted my time thank god it was free

  5. Julieth Greaves says:

    This is the same shit I was saying all along why take the vaccine if you have to quarantine this is bull s. t

  6. Cecelia Haynes says:

    I totally agree with the Ex Prime Minister, even 2 days quarantine for fully vaccinated people is ridiculous. Not to mention you must still take a covid test 72 hours before arrival plus be tested again upon arrival. Are you kidding me. What the hell is the vaccine certification for? And you wonder why people are resistant to taking it. People can visit other places with less restricted protocol for fully vaccinated people instead of coming to St.Vincent with all their problems.

  7. You are so right, Mr. Mitchell. Your comments are richly acknowledged. There are a log of foolish people in SVG taking the country backwards. These are not thinkers in government. The current protocol is absolute rubbish and will prevent travelers from coming to SVG, especially in these times where the economy needs some serious propping up. Current quarantine restrictions are too restrictive and nonsensical.

  8. Mitchell missed the part that after being vaccinated,,u can still get and spread the covid19
    For someone who I think is intelligent he surprised me,,many he has an agenda!

Comments closed.