Jamaica Carnival road march, which had been scheduled for Sunday 11 April, 2021, will not now go ahead, tourism minister Edmund Bartlett announced recently.
In September, Bartlett revealed that the carnival had been pushed back to 11April this year because of Covid-19. Since the dangers of the pandemic persist, he has once had to tell the organisers and the public that preparations will have to cease entirely until further notice.
Delano Seiveright, senior consultant and planner, has advised that the Tourism Ministry is collaborating with carnival organisers to create a bubble concept for the carnival. They hope to reopen the sector as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Bacchanal Jamaica, a major events organiser, acknowledged the announcement in a social media post. It wrote: “Although as band owners we are disappointed that it’s still not safe to host our carnival, we know that with the current Covid surge in Jamaica, April would not be in anyone’s best interest. We will have discussions with the government and once an agreement is final, an announcement will be made indicating the new dates.”
The good news is that the organisers have agreed that all fetes and bands will accept all tickets bought in 2020 for the next carnival as and when it takes place.
