THERE is a fine of $350,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment for giving false information in the online travel pass to enter Trinidad and Tobago.
This was the reminder by National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds speaking at a press conference at his Abercromby Street Port-of-Spain office on Friday.
He said he was satisfied that the proper procedures were followed in the case of Canadian national Alan Freddie who on Thursday returned home from Trinidad after his mix of Covid-19 vaccines were rejected.
Hinds made reference to the Canadian government’s advice to Canadian citizens to restrict international travel as far practicable.
He said, “If you must travel, you should familiarise yourself with the country destination’s public health regulations.
The minister said, “We have a travel pass arrangement that when you approach the platform, you will see what our local health regulations and arrangements require or demand. The Ministry of National Security’s website also tells you this.”
Hinds said that reasonable notice had been given, apart from the fact that all countries would have taken some level of action to protect itself.
He said, “Mr Preddie would have gone on the system, obtained the travel pass which you can only given when you satisfy the information you upload into it.
“You satisfy the system. You answered all the questions not necessarily correctly because persons can make false declaration for which, we have imposed a very serious $350,000 fine and two years imprisonment because of the seriousness of this.”
Hinds said, “If someone tells a lie or uploads a false PCR which is supposed to be no older than 72 hours or somebody offers false information on whether they are fully vaccinated or otherwise
“They will come through on the system but when they get to Trinidad, and these documents have to be validated it may reveal untruths.”
In the case of Mr Preddie, Hinds said, the system demanded information in respect of mixed vaccines.
“We only use and offer to the people of Trinidad and Tobago World Health Organization (WHO) approved vaccines.”
When Preddie arrived he had taken a Pfizer and Moderna mix of vaccines.
But at that time T&T, based on WHO’s advice, only recognised a mix of AstraZeneca and Pfizer.
During the press conference, however, Hinds made reference to a release of the Ministry of Health that added a mix of AstraZeneca and Moderna based of WHO guidelines.
He said, “Mr Preddie obviously uploaded information that allowed him the travel pass but when he arrived it occurred to those who validated that his mix of Moderna and Pfizer but not Pfizer and AstraZeneca (Sic) as T&T admits.
“Had he been a national, he would have been allowed entry after quarantine at his own expense, but we had said from the get go that as a non-national, you are not permitted to come into the borders of T&T if you are unvaccinated.”
Hinds said, “Vaccinated means getting your two shots or in the case of a single-shot Johnson & Johnson, one shot and after your final or one shot in the J&J, 14 days would have passed and then you are deemed fully vaccinated.”
He said, “T&T like any other country have our laws and public health regulations all designed to protect the people of T&T.
“We do it in the interest of the population and we stand by it.”
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