PdP wants clear plan for Crop Over, We Gatherin’

The People’s Party for Democracy and Development wants the Mia Amor Mottley administration to clearly state its plans for the 2020 Crop Over Festival and ‘We Gatherin’.

At a press conference this morning at the office of the Opposition, Worthing Main Road, Christ Church, the party’s spokesperson for culture and the creative industries, Alan Springer, said there is a pressing need for Government to be transparent on those two events, in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19).

Springer said it should be noted what responses other countries had taken, both before and after infections had been confirmed.

“It is time for the Government of Barbados to seem to be as decisive, transparent and proactive as other nations across the world. It is time for us to show our hand on exactly where we stand on the pandemic,” he told reporters.

The party’s shadow minister for tourism and international transport, Scott Weatherhead said the PdP was not seeking to score political points in such a sensitive time for the country and would not dispute any numbers provided by Prime Minister Mottley, but said a clearer picture was required regarding the criteria used to test persons.

 He also wanted to know if any plan had been put in place for continuous testing of frontline workers at the ports of entry, or for medical health professionals assisting with surveillance and information gathering.

Weatherhead said Government should also provide all testing information to a database which would allow persons across the world to go online and receive information about how much tests had been done for Covid-19 in Barbados and reported to the World Health Organisation. (BA)