By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement Leader Michael Pintard says it is impossible to move on from the lingering questions surrounding Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ admission that he broke quarantine to buy Christmas presents last month.

According to Mr Pintard, given that there is more than one account detailing the sequence of events on December 23, Mr Davis should address the country regarding what actually happened that day.

His comments came in response to press secretary Clint Watson who on Friday said the Davis administration wanted to put the issue to rest.

“There are three separate versions of the same story,” Mr Pintard said yesterday in an interview. “So, it is virtually impossible to neatly package this and move on when the Prime Minister, unsolicited gave his version of events surrounding his admitted departure from quarantine as not only required by him but by the law if you are exposed to a number of persons with whom you are constantly in close proximity.

“His admission was then followed by an official statement by the Office of the Prime Minister purportedly on his behalf however, differing from the substance of what he had said.

“These two statements which are at odds were followed by another set of statements by possibly the third most significant person in these kinds of discussions no less than the Minister of Health, which again represented something different.

“So, certainly this is not a matter that can be put to rest. The Prime Minister may very well be able to do so if anyone can, by him simply speaking to the country about the correct sequence of events and how he proposed to resolve the matter or how it ought to be resolved in law.”

Mr Watson insisted on Friday that at no time did Mr Davis — who is vaccinated, receive a booster shot and tested negative three times in a row — represent a transmission risk to others.

He said neither had Mr Davis been ordered into quarantine, but chose to quarantine.

Regarding this, Mr Pintard said: “There is a protocol that is dictated by exposure. When somebody is exposed and when somebody lives in, works in close proximity to a number of persons who had tested positive there is a course of action that follows and so quarantine is one of those courses of action.

“However, if somebody wishes to utilise the negative test the question is when were the tests taken?

“So, if you took a test a day or two or within two or three days afterwards does the protocol say the results of your test has covered the incubation period of the virus for example?”