Rollback: Back to School after Easter

By Prior Beharry

COME Monday, families can be without masks in their vehicles and places of worship will have no restrictions on time or capacity for their services.

And the Public Service will return to its full capacity but the Government has pulled back mandatory vaccination for public servants.

These new rollback measures were revealed by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in a statement to the Parliament on Friday afternoon.

He said, “These initiatives will move us closer to the resumption of normal life and will be initiated via the Public Health Regulations.

The now known milder characteristics of the Omicron variant has allowed for the rollback measures, the prime minister said.

But he said, “Make no mistake about it. Even as we react to an almost endemic condition, it is possible that a dangerous new variant could appear resulting in a swift review of these decisions because we are still in a pandemic.”

After his statement, Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal citing standing order 24(4), asked if the Government had “climbed down” in its decision to have mandatory vaccination in the Public Service.

Dr Rowley replied that that was caught up in what he said.

He added that given the way the Omicron variant has acted, it allowed for the rollback of measures.

Dr Rowley said, “We have placed a hold on drastic actions cause circumstances have changed drastically between mid-December 2021 and March 2022.”

The new measures in effect from Monday include:

• Mask wearing remain in effect in public spaces;
• Families in vehicles don’t have to wear masks;
• 100% capacity for public transport but mask-wearing mandatory;
• Places of worship no limit on capacity but mask-wearing mandatory;
• No limits on numbers at funerals by mask-wearing mandatory;
• Unvaccinated returning T&T nationals quarantine reduced to seven from 14 days;
• Quarantine period for primary contacts now ten days;
• Public gathering in groups of no more than 25;
• Opening back of team and contact sports;
• All children back to physical school in term three (after Easter vacation); and
• Return of all public servants to work.