THE Prime Minister maintained that the staging of Carnival 2022 remains possible. Dr Rowley said so at a news conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's on Saturday.

Rowley reiterated that some elements of Carnival could take place this year once proper health protocols are in place. Rowley said large gatherings which have become common with Carnival celebrations over the years cannot be held, given the current state of the covid19 pandemic and the rising threat of the omicron covid19 variant.

"It will be numerically smaller because we do not want to have the gatherings."

Rowley said the Community Development Ministry; Tourism, Culture and the Arts Ministry and other stakeholders will meet this week to discuss what format Carnival 2022 will take.

In the Senate on January 11, Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Randall Mitchell said no decision has been taken regarding the staging of Carnival 2022 and no budget has been determined for it either.

Mitchell said the idea of predetermined, pre-approved covid19 safe-zone venues for Carnival has been discussed in the consultations with stakeholders.

He was also hopeful that depending on how covid19 cases are managed, more children would be able to attend physical classes in school in February.

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