The General Manager of Sandals Grenada has challenged a report from the island’s health officials that has linked the all-inclusive resort to an increase in cases of COVID-19 across the island.
According to Peter Fraser, the resort is “particularly troubled to find ourselves the subject of inaccurate and unsubstantiated information being disseminated in the very early days of this issue. Much of which, we categorically refute.”
In a statement on Thursday, Fraser said the company takes the pandemic seriously.
“We implore that the dissemination of information to the public be rational and based on fact. Any other approach creates unnecessary complications not just for the destinations but for the population. We were dismayed to see the Chief Medical Officer and the Minister of Health host a press briefing at a time of limited facts and information, to insinuate any lapse in protocols on our part.”
He added that although investigations are still ongoing, all parties were fully aware “that we proactively initiated this process and contact tracing had yet to be completed. These utterances from official sources have fueled inaccurate further reporting both locally and internationally.”
Fraser said that Sandals Grenada has been in constant communication with the Keith Mitchell led administration and although there has been verbal acknowledgment on a number of “these significant inaccuracies and supporting confirmation, we continue to express great disappointment that we have not seen any official public declaration to correct any of these known discrepancies.”
The general manager added that Sandals continues to draw upon the recommendations from international and local public health authorities to ensure that protocols take into account the latest information.
He said the all-inclusive resort will continue to abide by the Pure Grenada Protocols that are continuously deployed, with a zero-tolerance policy for staff or guests who cannot comply with these vital health and safety measures.
“We are committed to ensuring the enforcement of these protocols through collaboration with public health authorities to identify potential risks and ensure we are doing everything possible to protect our team members’ health and safety and valued guests.”
The general manager said that for over seven years and ever since the resort opened in 2013 “we have had an outstanding partnership with the people of Grenada and its government.”
In commenting on the issue, the chairman of Sandals Resort International Adam Stewart said the management is involved in deeper dialogue with the government, and “we offered to show them our records, which they had not yet requested. We certainly have asked them for their records and are insisting that a full assessment be conducted in order to understand this cluster of cases and learn from it.”
Stewart reiterated that any claims repeated in local media about sources and conclusions are “completely inaccurate and represent hearsay at a time when travelers and the people of Grenada deserve facts.”
“We also did not evacuate any guests, as some media claimed, and we continued to operate the resort safely. Out of an abundance of caution we ourselves, which is a feature of our Platinum Protocols, and with the interests of our staff and our guests in mind, have made the decision to not accept new arrivals at the hotel until this matter settles.”
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell said the Government had launched an investigation to determine if Sandals breached COVID-19 protocols.
The Prime Minister also identified a number of short-term adjustments to the protocols to enable health officials to intensify their surveillance, monitoring and all other necessary actions to prevent the situation from escalating.
CMC
