Sandals has closed its Grenada resort to new guests through “an abundance of caution” after positive Covid-19 cases on site.
Grenada’s Ministry of Health has imposed stricter restrictions after an outbreakon the Caribbean island, which local media linked to the resort.
The all-inclusive resort operator said “a small number” of guests and staff tested positive. It said two guests were in quarantine at the resort awaiting a second test while team members who had to self-isolate were doing so at home. All are asymptomatic, Sandals added.
In a statement, Sandals said: “Following our Sandals protocols, these individuals and the staff who are supporting them follow additional guidelines for ensuring the quarantine measures are strictly enforced and that there is zero risk to the rest of the resort’s operations.”
It defended its “industry-leading” Sandals Platinum Protocols of Cleanliness., adding: “These protocols have helped to ensure all proven measures recommended by leading international public health authorities are taken in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and minimise risks to the maximum extent possible, including cleaning procedures, practicing smart public health behaviours, and testing, among others.”
Sandals noted that all guests must comply with the travel and health requirements of the government of Grenada for entry into the country, which includes receiving a negative Covid-19 test within a week of travel. “Sandals fully supports these policies and follows all guidelines relating to entry requirements into Grenada,” it said. “Sandals requested to the public health authorities in Grenada for testing to take place for all staff and guests last week.
“There have been incorrect local media reports identifying a source of the positive cases. As of today, the source is not yet known and Sandals is fully supporting the contract tracing and fact finding efforts, which are ongoing, to try to identify a source as well as any key learnings available from this situation.
“There have also been incorrect local media reports of the Sandals Resort being evacuated or instructed to close. This is not the case and the resort remains open for current guests to enjoy. Out of an abundance of caution, we are not accepting new guests at this time and are working with them to accommodate their travel plans to another one of our resorts in the Caribbean region. We will evaluate this policy in the coming days once findings are complete.”
Grenada’s border remains open, with visitors required to provide a negative PCR Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of travel and complete a Pure Safe Travel Certificate prior to arrival, among other requirements. It has a UK travel corridor.
Keith Mitchell, prime minister of Grenada, announced temporary measures from December 15 including all social gatherings, including weddings and funerals, are limited to 10 participants for the next seven days. Community events and gatherings are postponed for seven days; business operations, including public transportation, must stop at 10 p.m.; and restaurants are limited to takeout service only.
“The sudden spike in Covid cases originated at Sandals Grenada and demonstrates the grave dangers we face,” Mitchell told Travel Weekly US. “The grim reality is that 13 people from one household have tested positive, based on a staff member’s exposure to Covid. It cannot be determined at this time that this was due to a breakdown in the application of the resort’s protocols, but we must enforce the law.
“The Ministry of Health is revisiting the protocols for all hotels and resorts,” Mitchell said. “The magnitude of this new cluster of cases means it is not business as usual during this holiday season.”
He said that this was a “difficult time to enforce restrictions, but I need everyone’s full cooperation in mask wearing, social distancing and sanitizing, because a nationwide shutdown is not the preferred option.”
According to the ministry, the outbreak was discovered through the island’s “proactive testing” efforts, which have focused on frequent testing of frontline staff who work in sectors related to tourism, travel and health.
“The Sandals resort has now been deemed to be a place of screening and assessment,” said the Ministry of Health in a statement posted on Sunday. “Entire households related to the confirmed cases have also been quarantined, and contact tracers are actively working to source other potentially exposed people in other areas of public life and activity.”
The Ministry added that the outbreak is “a rapidly evolving situation,” and that it expects “a further tightening of measures related to activities and daily life” in the wake of the event.