GOVERNMENT and Opposition MPs on Friday appealed to citizens to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from covid19 over the Christmas season.
Members on both sides of the political divide told Newsday their time over Christmas will be divided between spending time with their families, their constituents and working.
The Prime Minister said, "I am having a semi-isolated Christmas entirely with my family, who are here in Trinidad. I also do that on Boxing Day." Dr Rowley said on Monday, he will be in Tobago for a few days "into and around the New Year." Rowley, who is from Mason Hall, often spends time at his sheep farm in Tobago.
"I hope to get into the bush and out into the open there, as I get the best of both worlds while I keep my distance as much as the circumstances demand.
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh will be continuing his ministerial duties, while finding some private time to spend with his family and co-ordinating activities in his St Joseph constituency.
But otherwise, "I will be spending my Christmas as I have spent every day for the past two years."
This included receiving reports from Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram, other members of the ministry's covid19 team and the regional health authorities.
"That goes on, making sure that resources are where they are needed to treat our patients."
Deyalsingh will spend time on Saturday with staff at the Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility, one of the 16 facilities in the parallel health care system established to treat covid19 patients.
"For this week, I have been visiting all the covid hospitals."
Deyalsingh said he will spend a large part of his Christmas continuing to thank frontline health care workers and motivate them going into another year of the pandemic..
As St Joseph MP, Deyalsingh said there have been Christmas activities there over the last month, "bringing relief and cheer to as many communities as possible." Hundreds of food hampers have been delivered throughout St Joseph.
"We did a toy drive in the past couple of days, to bring as much cheer to those parts of the constituency that need that care and attention." Apart from this, Deyalsingh said community infrastructural projects continue to bring relief to constituents.
His Christmas message to the population was to show love to frontline health care workers by protecting themselves against covid19.
"The best way that you can honour and love health care workers is not to get infected."
He reiterated his appeal to citizens to mask up, social distance, avoid gatherings and get vaccinated.
Public Utilities Minister and Lopinot/Bon Air West MP Marvin Gonzales said he will spend Christmas Day with his family and limit his physical interactions with other people.
"Over the last two weekends, I have distributed 4,500 toys to children in my constituency."
Some 800 food hampers were also distributed this week.
He urged constituents to sta
