Last Updated on June 12, 2020, 8:11 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The Jamaican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, has said that Jamaican nationals stranded in the Caribbean would be arriving on flights back to Jamaica soon.
The Minister told during a virtual press conference that flights have been scheduled for bringing Jamaicans who are stranded in the Caribbean, back to their homes.
She added that the plan is not just for students, but for all the Jamaican nationals who have been impacted by the restrictions due to COVID-19 and had flights cancelled on them since we closed our borders.
Smith said that the flights from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago are expected to arrive in Jamaica on Saturday.
The Minister added to her statement and said that the Government is working on finalising the flights which would come from Antigua and Barbuda and The Bahamas, which would round out the largest share of the population of Jamaicans who have been left stranded in the Caribbean.
Johnson Smith also praised this news by calling it a piece of good news for the frustrated Jamaicans overseas.
She explained that the persons who are stranded outside Jamaica were travelling outside the country various reasons such as, business, vacation, school, some people were travelling for short stay programmes. The border restrictions caught these persons, and therefore they did not have enough resources to continue sustaining a comfortable existence and could not even afford to sustain themselves at all.
She took a note that 154 Jamaicans had already arrived back in the country from the United Kingdom on Sunday and she further added that the country has been welcoming the people from Florida and New York mainly.
The Minister who is responsible for both Foreign trade and foreign trade said that people who want to come back home in Jamaica must complete the JAMCOVID application.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
