As arrangements continue for the soft reopening of the hospitality industry in Anguilla, the Ministries of Tourism and Health have put in place a number of protocols for taxi-drivers transporting visitors to their places of accommodation.
The protocols and related matters were the main subjects of discussions at a mass meeting for the taxi-drivers or ground-handlers as some prefer to be called. The meeting was held at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Finance on September 11.
Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism and Economic Development, Mrs. Quincia Gumbs-Marie, told the taxi-cab operators: “There has been a lot of concern from the general public of Anguilla as to how can you, as usual members of the public, interact with guests who may have Covid-19 and still re-integrate into the public. That has been a concern. But, with our repatriation system, we have had a taxi-driver [Todville Harrigan], as the person dealing with persons who were transported on the island.”
She explained that the transporting of guests, now coming to Anguilla for the soft reopening, would follow a similar protocol where there would be limited interaction between taxi-drivers and the guests, without the usual hugging and hand-shaking. “There are certain protocols we would want to impress upon you to ensure that there is limited interaction with guests – but still with the same level of service.”
Minister of Tourism, Mr. Haydn Hughes, said in part: “This is perhaps the most challenging time for hospitality and the hospitality sector in Anguilla. I believe that it is even more challenging than Hurricane Irma because, with the hurricane, there were some certainties. We knew what had happened and we had a certain level of predictability as it relates to how and when we can reopen; and we had friends around the world that assisted us. Today, everybody around the world is impacted by Covid-19 and we have an economy that is almost totally reliant on foreign direct investment, and persons coming to our shores. We have been impacted significantly with a large segment of our workforce being out of work at this time. We don’t have exact numbers but we believe that over three thousand persons have lost jobs due to Covid-19.”
The Tourism Minister went on: “Be that as it may, we have been working diligently to reopen Anguilla albeit in a much different fashion we have seen in the past. The Ministry of Health and the Chief Medical Officer have been working very hard to ensure that we can do this in a safe manner.”
The protocols for the taxi-drivers were explained by the Product Development and Research Officer in the Ministry of Tourism, Ms. Andia Ravariere. There was general agreement among the taxi-drivers with the necessary precautions to be undertaken by them while paying attention to maintaining their high level of service for their guests.
Other persons at the meeting were: Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Aisha Andrewin, who spoke on various protective health issues; Mr. Richard Connor of the Ministry of Health; Mr. Kenroy Herbert, Chairman of the Anguilla Tourist Board; Mrs. Shellya Rogers-Harrigan, Coordinator of Corporate Affairs at the Anguilla Tourist Board; Ms. Gina Brooks, Tourism Planner; and Mr. Todville Harrigan, who spoke about his experiences in providing ground transportation for persons who arrived in Anguilla.
