Caribbean News
WestJet to stop international flights; 16 Caribbean countries impacted
#Caribbean – March 17, 2020 — At least 16 Caribbean countries will be adversely impacted by the decision of Calgary-based airline, WestJet, which has announced a freeze on international flights as of March 23.
In a media statement, WestJet president and CEO Ed Sims said: “WestJetters are known for our level of care and this situation is no different. While this is a difficult time, we now have the responsibility as a Canadian airline to bring our citizens home.”
Additionally, it was reported that, WestJet will be lowering ticket prices for any remaining seats into Canada for those trying to return. The airline’s domestic flight schedule is also being reduced by 50 per cent for the next 30 days.
Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, on Monday summoned Canadians home and today, Ontario has declared a state of emergency after 32 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded for the province on Monday.
At least 150 countries have recorded cases of the dreaded disease which has sickened over 180,000 people. More concerning is the COVID-19 death toll has soared past 7,100 people in its three-month existence.
In the Turks and Caicos, the loss of WestJet will be significant as Canadians account for around 8.5 percent of long stay visitors to the country. In 2018, nearly 38,000 Canadians travelled to the Turks and Caicos; that was up four percent according to the TCI Tourist Board.
West Jet flies into Turks and Caicos four times per week; Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
WestJet flight handlers at the Providenciales International Airport, PLS say changes will actually be felt sooner than next week, by March 19 and it is anticipated that the airline will terminate service to the PLS this weekend.
WestJet flies to Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman, Cuba, Curcao, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos.
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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