Through our Sandals Platinum Protocols of Cleanliness, we have taken industry leading steps to ensure the health and well-being of our valued guests and team members. These protocols are strictly enforced and have ensured that all proven measures as recommended by leading international public health authorities are taken to minimize risks to the maximum extent possible.
Sandals Barbados takes the safety of all our stakeholders very seriously and this extends to adhering to the evolving government protocols during this pandemic. During a call in meeting with hoteliers on Tuesday, the Minister of Tourism Senator Lisa Cummins noted that the Ministry of Health was in discussion with all hotels regarding the protocols.
We have always worked closely with the Ministry of Health and CMO to ensure that we are in alignment with the national requirements. It is therefore surprising to note that while there are assigned Ministry of Health officials on our resort daily, at no time was any perceived breaches brought to our attention until we received a letter from the Chief Medical Officer, to which we have responded in writing refuting the assertions and requesting a further review and follow-up meeting.
We were amazed therefore that as this conversation was ongoing, we had to read in the press that the Minister of Health has issued a statement speaking to delisting Sandals Barbados as a designated quarantine hotel.
Sandals further goes on record to refute the implication therein that there has been any issue involving the local police and our guests breaching protocol. There is no such issue involving any Sandals guests, which was confirmed when it was brought to the attention of the Minister of Tourism.
Sandals remains dedicated to continuing to ensure stringent compliance of any and all new processes. As the World’s Leading All-Inclusive Company, we have not only the capacity but the experience to implement the required protocols effectively. In fact we have separated our two hotels so that one is used exclusively as a quarantine facility, before guests move to the second hotel to enjoy their vacation.
These hotels are operated as separate entities, with zero commingling of guests in order to ensure that all arrivals are properly quarantined. This is just one example of the extensive measures taken to ensure travelers are in compliance to allow guests ease and comfort while they abide by mandatory quarantine procedures, without difficulty.
As we work toward resolving this matter we do hope that the Minister of Tourism, the Minister of Health and the Chief Medical Officer, who have not yet been to our hotel to see the protocols in operation, can prioritize a visit to do so.
