EVERY citizen in Trinidad and Tobago has the right to access food and a person’s Covid-19 vaccination status should not cause any discrimination against persons going to supermarkets to get their basic needs met.
This is the stance taken by the Supermarket Association of Trinidad and Tobago (SATT) following a joint press release by the Energy and Business Chambers.
SATT stated, “While we also wish to see government offices and public spaces deemed ‘safe zones’, we at SATT have recognised the customers’ right to access foodstuff which is a basic need, therefore, we cannot, in good conscience, refuse them the right to access that at our stores while we feel given our wealth of experience in the austere management of health protocols which we already meet and exceed having set the bar. As such, we will neither be naming supermarkets safe zones nor subscribing to that concept.”
SATT added, “We already have protocols in place at stores for the management of Covid-19. We are strongly urging the Government to lead the line sooner rather than later with the Omicron and Delta variants inevitable in their arrival. A policy position must guide the nation alongside constant education of the pros versus the cons of vaccination. People have a personal responsibility to themselves, their families and to society to protect lives. As citizens who want to return to a state of normalcy, now is the time to remind each other of that personal responsibility.”
SATT stated that supermarkets have been operating nonstop during the pandemic unaffected by closures as an essential business and are well aware of all public health and safety protocols and SATT has been proactive in the education of customers to sensitise and create Covid-19 awareness.
SATT also piloted Covid-19 vaccinations involving the private sector.
No predatory practice by SATT
Additionally, SATT also stated, “We wish to make it abundantly clear that no member in The SATT is engaging in predatory practices at this time. We are experiencing a deep fallout from the calamitous effects felt by the global supply chain made more deleterious at this time by the pandemic. Rising prices are being passed on and, as an import-dependent nation, there is little we can do to prevent that.”
“There has been the removal of VAT Value Added Tax on basic food items and people have access to staples which our stores do their best to keep inventory items for the indigent and vulnerable. As a fiercely competitive sector, customers can be comforted by the deals and specials put out by the competition.”
