Parliament to cancel public holidays in August 2021

THERE WILL be no public holidays during the month of August this year because, as it did in 2020, parliament is set to approve a bill that will cancel the two days from the Bank Holidays Act.

“Notwithstanding the Bank Holidays Act, Chapter 25, for the year 2021, the Carnival August celebrations under the Schedule to the Bank Holidays Act are hereby cancelled and the 9th day of August, 2021, and from noon on the 10th day of August, 2021, shall not be bank holidays for the purposes of the Bank Holidays Act,” read the bill, which will be tabled during the July 7 sitting of the House of Representatives.

The COVID-19 Cancellation of Carnival August Celebrations Act, 2021 Bill will also have to get the approval of the Senate before it goes through the final process of assent by the Office of the Governor General and then gazetted before taking effect.

Last year, to contain and control the spread of COVID-19, the government cancelled the holidays in August. That is the period that is used to culminate carnival celebrations which are usually traditionally launched in April or May.

COVID-19, with several variants, continues to spread throughout the world, but Grenada has only one active case.

Grenada’s vaccination programme is being carried out with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being administered to persons 18 years and older.

Using the voters’ list as a guide, just a little more than 80,000 people are entitled to be inoculated.

According to the Ministry of Health, as of June 30, a total of 20,023 persons had received the first dose of the vaccine and 14,287 got the second dose.