Tourism minister supports lockdown if Covid-19 cases spike If a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections forces a new shutdown in Antigua and Barbuda, the already struggling tourism sector will no doubt plummet – but the man at the helm of that industry is nonetheless supporting suggestions to partially close the country. Information Minister Melford Nicholas said last week that government could be left with no choice but to embark on a national lockdown if Covid-19 numbers continue to climb. Antigua and Barbuda currently has 27 active cases out of the 189 confirmed to date, while six people have died. Yesterday, Tourism Minister Charles “Max” Fernandez told Observer that while tourism will receive the hardest blow of any such lockdown, the lives of residents are paramount.