Vaccination is key to return of cruise ships in 2021 says Tourism Minister Charles

Visitors disembarking from a cruise ship in Dominica

Cruise ships could return to the country’s ports by summer 2021 Tourism Minister Denise Charles has indicated but according to her the key is vaccination.

Director of Tourism, Colin Piper, mentioned recently that achieving herd immunity against the dreaded Covid-19 could determine future tourist arrivals to Dominica.

Herd immunity, or community immunity, will be achieved when a large part of Dominica’s population becomes immune to the coronavirus. The Dominica government has set a target of 70% of the population being vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity.

“The cruise ships they are ready to come back to Dominica. I have had a few meetings with them, they are looking at May/June ,” Charles said in an interview with State-Owned DBS Radio.

She said the cruise companies  are ensuring that all their staff  and employees get vaccinated.

She said they are still going to follow some protocols for dis-embarkation.

“All they want to ensure is that when they bring their guest here, people can feel safe as well,” the minister stated.

She stressed the importance of taxi and tour operators getting vaccinated and having their vaccination card, “so that they can feel like they are operating in a safe environment.”

Meantime, Charles said the World Creole Music Festival (WCMF) “is on the cards” once the country achieves herd immunity…“Really the onus is on our citizens …”

She continued, “If we really want World Creole Music Festival (WCMF) let’s play our role and get vaccinated.”

Charles explained that being vaccinated reduces one’s ability to transmit the virus or if one contracts the virus it would become as a common flu, “So that is an advantage in itself.”

“We are still monitoring to see how things go, see if there are certain protocols we should have,” she said and revealed that in this regard, the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA) is planning to meet with the Ministry of Health to see whether the WCMF should be staged this year and what protocols must be put in place “to ensure that happens in a safe way.”

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16 Comments

  1. click here
    April 6, 2021

    Denise is a complete fool. But yet even after you are “vaccinated” you can still spread and contract the same disease!!! what nonsense all you people talking. On one end all you trying to deny the reality, next end trying to broobroo people with all you majeee! NONE OF THE VACCINES PREVENT THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS, so how on earth will it be the key to the return? We want all those hundreds of thousands of tourists with their COVID to come back and spoil the country again. Keep in mind that the world health organisation themselves have admitted on their website that these vaccines do not work. you will still have to wear a mask, still have to social distance, still can catch and spread the disease. common sense.

  2. LifeandDeath
    April 5, 2021

    Isn’t it funny how all the Tourism Ministers throughout the region singing the same song.. “Vaccination, Vaccination, Vaccination”
    If them Tourist already vaccinated/”protected”, then what is there to worry about?

    We too dotish!!

  3. Eye on Dominica - The Drone
    April 4, 2021

    How can Dominica achieve Herd Immunity when the total number of vaccines received, 70,000 from India and 20,000 from China means only 45,000 Dominicans will be fully vaccinated with the 1st and 2nd doses or jabs. What about the other 25,000 Dominicans… And the thousands of Haitians we have all over the island?

    In the tourist trade, the cruise ships tourists spend the least money. Yet so much talk about wanting cruise ships to come, because big numbers of people fool the ordinary citizens.

    Why not spend more time getting more yacht tourists to come because they spend more days in port and certainly more money than the cruise ship visitors.

    Better yet why not spend even more time encouraging more stay over tourists to come because they spend the most time and money in Dominica.

    Finally why not spend more time development our other economic sectors, especially Agriculture thus making us less dependent on tourists.

    You all hate Americans but love their pennies…LOL :lol:…

  4. April 4, 2021

    The same persons who don’t take the Vaccine will be saying that Government not doing anything to open back the country for the cruise season. Bunch of hypocrites.

    • click here
      April 6, 2021

      Vaccine doesnt work.

  5. Covid immune
    April 4, 2021

    Do you Know how long after taking the vaccine it is effective? Everyday we hear of a new virus….how can you be sure that the vaccine today works on the new strain?
    The best thing for Dominica is to keep all tourist where they are. Encourage people to be self sufficient. Grow what they can. Go back to the days of batter…..i have sugar you have fig. Give me fig and I give you sugar.
    We do not Know enough about Covid, so until then let us live simple and hope that like everyother it shall pass

  6. Anthony Ismael
    April 2, 2021

    Once again, we have another politician talking about issues that’s way over her head. Even if you’re not a world renowned Scientist, simple news stories about cases risings in 15 states in the US the mess that is currently Europe and Brazil is enough to endure some common sense, before making outlandish statements. We have been spared by the pandemic thus far and we need to keep it that way. More than 20,000 people died in the state where I live and we have large hospital networks in every borough. We can ill afford to lose a large swath of our population. The Minister of Tourism is out of touch. Now is certainly not the time to bombard Isle of Beauty with hordes of tourist from states where “Not wearing a mask and avoiding vaccination,” has become a false political badge of honor. Let’s continue to keep our population safe until we beat this pandemic.

  7. Truth Be Told
    April 2, 2021

    My dear lady please note that there is no immunity against Covid-19! We may have to take a vaccine every six months! Besides how do you protect against the various strains coming from around the world? You may have immunity against the current strain but Europe, Latin America, Africa, and now more so the US are quickly showing various strains that vaccines do not help. Do some basic research, listen to international scientific reporting or go to the WHO website before you people pass yourselves off as ignorant and ill-informed! Why you all so eager to open to mass tourism? What happen passports not selling like hot bread during pandemic? You people sound desperate!

  8. Toto
    April 2, 2021

    Keep on dreaming Denise. You forget hurricane season? P.S. you never tell us about that Dutchman with the Swiss wife and all the fancy cars he imported and entertaining even Skerrit at his villa, that was living in your own village of laPoint. We hearing on the grapevine mister no longer in Dominica because they jail him in Holland for money laundering and stealing from his own drug dealing clients. Is that true Denise? How can that be when he had one of our CBI passport just like another Monfared. You tell a good story Denise but you not telling us all.

  9. VereTere
    April 2, 2021

    Madame Charles, all I can say: you, Skerrit and Piper keep on dreaming… All you know very well that the return of cruise ships in May/June is not going to happen. You are a sad bunch of humans that desperately tries to cling on power and the massive rewards that come with it.

  10. Concern citizen
    April 1, 2021

    They should make it mandatory for bus drivers taxi drivers and tour guides to get vaccinated

  11. Roger Burnett
    April 1, 2021

    Dominica does not need hoards of low-spend day trippers in order to survive. Those who have become dependent on cruise ship arrivals would do better by reverting back to farming and reaping the potential of agro-processing. They would then live a healthier, more fulfilling and self-sufficient lifestyle. With or without the inevitably become repeat doses of vaccines, Dominica would then be spared the worst of the current and future pandemics.

    A small island with limited access is the best place to be at this point in time. Millions throughout the world are envious of our advantage.

  12. Luca Spark
    April 1, 2021

    It’s stunning how unqualified and inexperienced politicians suddenly become medical experts. It’s even more stunning that they can have their heads so firmly implanted in the sand. When world cases are on the increase, US experts are forecasting scenarios of ‘doom’, and most of Europe is in lockdown fighting a third wave, Denise Charles, clairvoyant that she clearly is, talks about the return of cruise ships. Not real leaders. Not a real country.

  13. Ki Bagai So
    April 1, 2021

    What crap is this? Is the vaccination 100% effective? What stunt is being pulled here?

    Charles explained that being vaccinated reduces one’s ability to transmit the virus or if one contracts the virus it would become as a common flu

    So Charles is now an expert on vaccines and the flu. Well Charles, why not make your mask flu [very much intended] away?

    • Flat Earth
      April 2, 2021

      Lol…thats exactly what this garbage is. A flu .but an upgrade flu . But as with history the controllers use it as fear along with the TEL – LIE – VISION to control and manipulate the unsuspecting masses.

      Without TV and the toxic freemason propaganda media, this PLAN – DEMIC would never be possible. Everyone would just say there is a bad bug going around so drink your bush tea, eat healthy and exercise.. Then humanity would just continue with their normal daily lives 1 trilllion %

  14. Eyeronee
    April 1, 2021

    Three words: cloud cuckoo land.

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