By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A Family Island resort owner wants the government to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory as the only way to combat the misinformation and conspiracy theories circulating on social media.

Dr Larry Carroll, owner/operator of the Abaco-based Sandpiper Inn, told Tribune Business it is time to start “mandating” COVID-19 vaccinations to save tourism and the wider economy.

He said: “The inaccuracies around the COVID-19 vaccination are basically the conspiracy theories, which we all know are going around on social media. That’s stopping workers from wanting to be vaccinated, and not really taking a look at what are the choices.”

Dr Carroll’s comments came in response to a challenge set out by Kerry Fountain, the Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board’s executive director, who said tourism operators need to do more to combat the “inaccuracies” being circulated on COVID-19 vaccinations if they want the industry to fully rebound and at a much faster pace.

He added: “The young people are scared, and it’s the same thing all over the world. The education versus the conspiracy theories, but who’s winning?

“There’s not much us operators can do, but one thing I did suggest is to look seriously at the emergency powers and mandate certain things. But it’s election time so nothing is going to be done until you secure yourself and you’re satisfied, and then maybe you’ll take the risk of mandating vaccinations.

Dr Carroll continued: “Tourism is our lifeblood, and we have large hotels that have 4,000 people, and 2,000 of them don’t want to take the vaccine: That’s not helping the country. Unless the powers that be either mandate or properly educate and mitigate against the conspiracy theories, then nothing is going to change.”

John Pinder, former director of labour and now the Free National Movement’s (FNM) candidate for the Fox Hill constituency, previous;y said employers will break the law if they mandate employees to take the vaccine. Dr Carroll acknowledged this, but said he feels the government has the “right to legislate” and can make mandatory vaccinations a legal requirement.

Karla Lisgaris, co-owner of Reel Dreams Sport Fishing Charters, told Tribune Business that she does not know what more tourism operators can do to combat misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on social media.

She said: “We can go on social media and engage, but is that really effective? The people who I know spend very little time on Facebook, and on Facebook I have the option to not follow negative feeds and I do that, so I don’t see all of this stuff floating around.

“I’m just not sure what anybody is supposed to do about inaccurate comments. It’s just really unfortunate, because the same people who are hesitant to take the vaccine are the same ones who would end up at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).”

Ms Lisgaris argued there was very little the private sector can do other than incentivising employees to take the COVID-19 vaccine. She said: “I just don’t think there’s anything anybody can do about inaccurate comments, and I think that’s what most people would say,

“I don’t feel like engaging commenters on Facebook would be impactful because you would think that people in the tourism sector would be the most inclined to get vaccinated, as they know this diminishes travel, but from an operator standpoint I know people in our association - and owners at that - who say that they don’t know what’s in that vaccine, and they would rather take a chance with the COVID-19.”