CABINET’S VACATION DILEMMA

SENIOR Cabinet members are in a quandary pertaining to international vacations. 

The ministers want to travel abroad for vacation, to settle in children at universities, to visit relatives or to get medical check-ups. 

But they are concerned about how their foreign holiday vacations would play off since Trinidad and Tobago has been locked down for more than a year and the recent re-opening of the borders has been stymied by high airline costs and limited flight options. 

Many locals have not been able to travel since the start of the Covid-19 medical crisis in early 2019. 

There have been informal discussions about ministers taking short holidays without any public announcements. 

Parliament is closed until September, and that would go a long way in shielding ministers from public scrutiny. 

August is the traditional month of international travel, and most ministers line up their trips long before that period. 

Ministers are accustomed to luxurious vacations. One Cabinet member usually travels to exotic European destinations, while others have a fancy for popular international cities. 

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley is due for a medical check-up, which he usually accesses in California, on the western coast of the United States. 

It is likely that Cabinet members would quietly slip out of the country without the usual announcements of their absence and about the appointment of acting ministers.