Saint Lucia’s Chief Environmental Health Officer Mr. Parker Ragnanan says that free quarantine may not continue indefinitely. On May 31, Ragnanan was part of a panel discussion hosted by the government, when he was asked if the state would continue to pick up the tab for returning nationals. The CEHO indicated that this is what presently exists but it is subject to change as government reviews its protocols and arrangements.
“Saint Lucia, as a country, cannot continue to indefinitely provide quarantine facilities at a cost to the state,” said Ragnanan. “People are coming in for various reasons. And we understand in the first instance that we had people who were stuck; so we hear about the persons who were on the cruise lines. They were stuck on the seas for weeks and months, now we’ve received them. There are students who are overseas who are coming in and we are making accommodation for them.”
The CEHO says he does not believe that the state is in a position financially to continue to bear the cost. He assured the public that if and when changes are made, they will be notified. “A Saint Lucian cannot reasonably expect that they’re coming home for a vacation or to visit family, and the state has to bear the cost for that measure of quarantine. And therefore, that’s why I’m saying in the interim at present, it is free but it does not mean that it’s going to continue infinito at no cost to the person who wants to come in.
“So people will be told in advance that they are coming and they need to be quarantined. If and when there is a cost to that, they would also be aware of such a measure,” said Ragnanan.
