Communications Minister Symon de Nobriga has set the record straight, stating there will be no ribbon cutting ceremony held to formally open the two field hospitals donated by the United States government. 

 Minister De Nobriga’s clarification comes after a newspaper headline on Saturday read “Field Hospital Ribbon Cutting On Monday”, drawing criticism in the public domain, with many questioning the reason for such a ceremony at a time when persons are being urged to avoid unnecessary movement. 

In a post to his Facebook page, Minister De Nobriga suggested the prospect of there being a field hospital had been an “honest error”

“The comment referring to a ribbon cutting was made by an Operations Officer in the Regional Health Authority. It was not made by the Prime Minister, The Minister of Health nor by the Minister of National Security. This may simply be a case of an honest mistake by a person who is in a high stress job in a very high stress time. It has somehow made its way into a headline and become fodder for easy comment.”

Seeking to put the matter to rest, he added, “There is no ribbon cutting. There must be an inspection of the completed installation and that must be done with some sort of on site briefing as to the capacity, operational process, etc. Our best case scenario is to never have to use this facility and that depends on our collective behaviour.”

 “Please let us keep focused on what matters more now than ever. Personal responsibility for our words and actions,” he said. 

The two field hospitals donated by the US government have been set up at the Couva Hospital and Jean Pierre Complex in Port of Spain, each with a capacity for 40 additional beds.