Trinidad Carnival 2021 is still up in the air, but if it happens will you be allowed to go?
So, according to a local Trinidadian station, Carnival in Trinidad is still on! The government is much more cautious in it’s remarks but the possibility of a carnival remains
At this point it’s looking like a local Trinidadian, or possibly a regional, affair though as regions with high rates of covid infection are excluded such as the USA and Europe.
Jamaica is also potentially on the list of banned countries and we here may very well be watching carnival on instagram live rather than attending in person. This is a result of Jamaica opening our borders to both repatriate many of our citizens who have been trapped abroad in unsatisfactory conditions as well as to facilitate some tourism activity which makes up a significant portion of our economic lifeblood.
The report also mentions that the government will be looking towards Jamaica’s carnival (the only carnival planned between now and march 2021as far as I know) to help them plan and implement policies to make Trinidad Carnival safer.
Jamaica Carnival is still scheduled to happen and policy makers here are slowly taking steps towards opening the entertainment industry in an orderly stepwise and phased manner. This will allow us to assess and adjust as we go along to make sure it’s done as safely as possible. By the time October comes around we would have had passed through several phases of reopening and will have had policy and practices in place for months. Those policies would have been tried, tested, adjusted and retested and this would help us detect and minimise the effects of imported cases. We too, have to take a close and hard look Americans wishing to enter and they may have to be subjected to extra measures (at minimum) to ensure our safety. Regional travel into Carnival in Jamaica is very likely to be quite fine with the caveat that those islands may not allow return travel without testing once their citizens come to Jamaica because of our caseload .
Local covid numbers are not that bad right now for a country of 3 million, with only 126 known active cases as of June 24th, 2020 with all of those cases currently in isolation. Also, and importantly, we have very few hospitalizations from Covid 19 (2 currently) meaning that it’s unlikely that we are missing a huge number of cases with our current testing criteria.
Current downwards trend in the number of active cases. 
Spike in april due to a workplace cluster.
One thing is for sure, policymakers, the ministry of health and carnival stakeholders are currently making meticulous plans with the aim of making Jamaica Carnival happen and as safe as possible. IF carnival here comes to pass, I’m feeling confident that once each person plays their part to keep the events safe, the chances of any corona spread should be minimised, and I’ll be out there capturing the vibes with my mask and camera:)
So for all you carnival chasers, while you may not be able to travel to the mecca of Trinidad Carnival, keep your eye on Carnival in Jamaica as in 4 months (which feels like a lifetime away) we may just be open for business and will DEFINITELY be open in April ONCE WE JUMP THROUGH THE NECESSARY HOOPS FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL.
