The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The deputy prime minister has confirmed the Government is initiating talks with the hotel industry over whether unvaccinated staff should pay for their weekly COVID-19 tests.

Chester Cooper, also minister for tourism, investment and aviation, said that while the Government has not made vaccinations mandatory, the issue of testing - and who should pay for it - remained an open question. He indicated, though, that the Davis administration’s planned roll-out of free COVID testing might provide an answer.

“It is a question that we have begun to talk with all of the properties,” Mr Cooper said.”The Government of the Bahamas has started a pilot programme in terms of testing in some of the islands of The Bahamas.

“We’re speaking with the hotel unions, and we hope to be able to advance that programme even further. Suffice to say, we’re talking with the employers. We’re talking with the unions and we’re moving in the right direction.

“I started to talk about vaccinations because we believe that vaccination uptake is the right way to go. We’re encouraging all of our citizens to vaccinate. It’s not mandatory, but we are encouraging them to do so,” he continued.

“It’s good for our health, and it’s good for the economy. And research shows the tourists like to go to destinations where there’s a high vaccination uptake. So it’s good for tourism. It’s good for the economy, and it’s good for our health.”

Mr Cooper’s comments came one day after Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) president, issued “a clarion call” for The Bahamas to eliminate legal stipulations that mandate employers must pay for their workers’ COVID-19 testing.

He used the Accountants Week seminars to challenge both the Government and trade unions to at least work with the private sector on reforming the Health and Safety at Work Act’s section nine, which includes language that blocks employers from requiring their employees to pay towards any element of workplace safety.

Graeme Davis, Baha Mar’s president, yesterday doubled down on what Mr Sands said, adding that he wants employees “certainly paying for testing” if they are unvaccinated.

He said: “We want to encourage associates to work in a safe environment and be vaccinated where they can, unless there’s underlying medical conditions. We believe, you know, that that creates a safe work environment for them.”