COVID vs CARIFTA
LOC chairman reshuffling plans on account of surging numbers
Published:Wednesday | January 5, 2022 | 12:05 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Local Organising Committee (LOC) chairman for the 2022 Carifta Games, Mike Fennell, has admitted that the recent decisions barring spectators from local sporting events have caused a reshuffle in their plans for getting approval for spectators for the event in April.
Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie announced last Wednesday that requests for fans to attend the international cricket matches during Ireland’s tour of the West Indies as well as the semi-finals of the 2021-22 schoolboy football season were rejected because of the increase in COVID-19 cases and the threat of the Omicron variant.
In a Sunday Gleaner interview in November, Fennell said that having a full capacity crowd at the National Stadium for the games has to be an objective for the committee. However, he now says that the current surge in cases has caused a rethink in their overall plans for the games, not just their proposal for fan attendance.
“There is no question that with the recent surge in cases one cannot be surprised that certain strong decisions had to be made. We are in a period where we have to be reviewing our plans almost on a daily basis because the circumstances are changing and the situation is unpredictable,” Fennell told The Gleaner.
“We really don’t know how things are going to turn out but, obviously, we have to make our plans on the basis that we are being very positive and trying to ensure that we have (the games here).”
Fennell said travel difficulties and other concerns among the 26 participating nations, as well as guaranteeing the health and safety of the participants, are some of the issues that have the LOC occupied. According to the LOC chairman, a meeting will be held this Thursday to assess the situation, given whatever decisions they have to make regarding changes to the proposals to stage the event.
“While spectator attendance is important, there are many other issues of equal or even more importance. That is the safety and welfare of all the participating athletes and officials. That is something that we must consider first before we talk about spectators. At some stage, we’ll have to say hold on a little, do we go further or whatever it is? What point in time is that?” Fennell said.
DISRUPTION IN AIRLINE TRAVEL
“There is also the question of travel, and over the past few weeks, there have been a lot of disruptions in airline travel. And if these teams can’t get in and get out easily, that is also another concern.”
Jamaica reported 769 cases on Sunday, the highest in a single day since October 1, with a positivity rate of 48.4 per cent.
North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) president, Mike Sands, is expected to be at Thursday’s meeting. When asked if the staging of Carifta is in jeopardy because of the new developments, Fennell said that they are just considering how to deal with the risks associated with hosting the event in the current climate.
“All we can say is there are a number of risks that we have to consider and see how we can deal with that. It would be foolhardy to expect the Government to tell you what the conditions will be in April. They can’t tell you now,” Fennell said.
“Therefore, we have to continue seeking dialogue with them to see how they view the situation because they want things to happen too.”
Jamaica was awarded the right to host the games last November after Guyana withdrew because of COVID-19 challenges. The games have not been held for two years because of the pandemic, with last year’s edition being delayed twice before the competition was ultimately cancelled.