The Grenada government Tuesday said it intends to remove all remaining measures put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) next month, even as it urged citizens to continue to practice the health regulations to reduce new infections and deaths.
Health and Social Security Minister Nickolas Steele, speaking at the weekly post Cabinet news conference, said that Cabinet had discussed the issue “and made a decision that if the current trends continue” the remaining measures would be removed on April 4.
Several Caribbean countries have been reporting significant declines in the number of new cases of the virus and Steele said that in the case of Grenada where 216 people have died and 13, 690 others infected over the past two years, the health authorities have also reported significant declines.
“That is our sincere hope that this will happen (and) like everything else it is up to us to ensure there is a certain amount of what happens elsewhere. We will continue to monitor and analyse between now and then (April 4) an even after that monitor and analyse the situation locally, regionally and globally and adjust accordingly.
“But Cabinet does believe based on the information received and consultation with our various national, regional and international partners that on April 4 the vaccine differentiation and mask mandates can be removed.
He said the government would respect those rights, adding “we are not out of the pandemic, we re trying to get to that new norm with the pandemic.
“There are still certain good practices that I do hope remain,” Steele said, making reference to the sanitisation of hands before entering a building.
He said given that much time and resources had been allocated to dealing with the pandemic, the new “normal” allows for the health authorities to deal with other areas of the health services that had been put on the back burner because of resources and personnel.
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