The North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) is to make a final decision on the fate of the 2021 Carifta Games in May.

The member federations and chairs of NACAC commissions and working groups met virtually on Saturday (April 17) to discuss the future of the 2021 games set for August 13-15 that now appear to be under threat as host country Bermuda is experiencing spikes in cases of COVID-19 infections.

The global pandemic eliminated the possibility of staging the Games on Easter weekend. NACAC then chose July 2-4 as the new dates. However, those dates were pushed further forward to August because of the scheduling of Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) external exams.

UNVACCINATED VISITORS MUST BE QUARANTINED

At Saturday’s meeting, Carifta 2021 Local Organising Committee (LOC) member Mia Bean said there is now a non-negotiable requirement that any unvaccinated visitor to Bermuda must be quarantined for 14 days.

Since the vaccination requirement would impact all under-17 athletes as well as some of the under-20s, the development has now become a major stumbling block. Other potential challenges were put on the table, including the impact of positive Covid-19 tests during the Games, available hotel rooms, and timelines for booking charters and making payments.

Following extensive discussions, the Carifta 2021 LOC was given until April 30 to report to the NACAC Council on the latest situation with all the issues raised at the information session. The LOC is expected to meet with Bermuda Government officials before the month-end deadline.

Following receipt of the Bermuda LOC report, the NACAC Council will make a decision and communicate it to member federations.

The regional junior meet was not held in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bermuda transferred its hosting responsibilities to 2021.