Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has announced that Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival in 2021, is not on.
He made the announcement at a Spotlight on the Budget Forum earlier today.
“In 72 hours we will be in October and if at this time in October we are still in the throes of a pandemic, it would be madness to be talking about Carnival in February. I see no future for Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago in the months ahead,” he said.
Dr Rowley said it would take something dramatic to reverse his thoughts on the matter.
“I can put everybody on notice that unless there is some dramatic wind that will blow across us where, by Christmas, the pandemic would have been a thing of the past, Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago in 2021 is not on,” he announced.
Questions surrounding the annual festival have been circulating for months. Other Caribbean counterparts have cancelled their Carnivals and related events for the rest of 2020, with possibilities looming over 2021.
The Prime Minister encouraged that the populace looks on the bright side despite the announcement.
“Let us be thankful that we’re all still alive to see each other’s face. Let us remember what our country passed through in 1918,” he said.
Dr Rowley says that while he understands the economic fallout that the decision will have, he’s more interested in saving lives.