Photo: Anna Shvets in Pexels

By Frank Martin

In travels terms the United Kingdom classifies countries and territories in three lists identified with red, amber, or green colors as a shield against the Covid-19 epidemic.

In the Caribbean Sea, Grenada and Jamaica run the risk of entering the red list.

Each color of this tourist traffic light is updated every three weeks and the two islands are watched.

According to British publication Sky News for the mentioned two Caribbean destinations have worsened in terms of the increase in infections.

In normal times both Jamaica and Grenada have significant sources of income from English-speaking tourism, and despite declining arrivals due to the coronavirus, they are struggling to get it back.

Grenada could “become the first country to go directly from green to red” due to a recent and “astonishing” epidemic spread, as quoted by an expert from the aforementioned publication.

According to the specialist, around 1,000 people out of 100,000 test positive for COVID-19 every week in Grenada, which places the island in the danger zone of the British classification.

Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell suggested the immediate installation of a field hospital while speaking during the 16th Emergency Meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference.

Jamaica reported last week more than 9,000 cases of contagion in the last 14 days.

Saint Lucia, another Caribbean tourist gem, would also struggle with the British “traffic light”, although more recent health reports from there reflect improvements.

And by the way, Is the traffic light really effective for UK tourism?

The statistics that could dissipates doubts are variable. But one thing is certain: the UK traffic light brings international and national problems to London.

The trippers regulation system is famous but feared and according to the criteria of experts it could disappear as of next October.

The color lists also determine the requirements for that must meet upon their return the British citizens including the hated mandatory quarantines.

Clearly this means that color lists not only affect UK citizen arrivals to small Caribbean destinations, but also to Europeans one such as cities in Spain. And also could annoys British returning home.

The Spanish Balearic Islands managed to enter the green list on last June 24.

But (and there always are with the pandemic) everything changed to amber for that Spanish island due to its negative epidemiological evolution.

Nowadays situation indicates that there is a growing British desire to “turn off” the tourist traffic light at once.

But the coronavirus stubbornness in its  spread would force UK to  a new system to be established.

Analysts affirm that a new quality for the new system would be to apply norms related to the advance of the vaccination campaigns.

FM