Last Updated on June 7, 2020, 3:06 AM AST by Anthony Morris
A flight coming from Miami to Georgetown is expected to land today in Guyana with the first group of Guyanese who are approved to return back home since the closure of the airspace of the country because of the COVID-19 restrictions, David Patterson, the de facto Minister of Public Infrastructure has confirmed.
With numerous Guyanese stranded overseas and seeking to return to the country, the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) recently announced that it had approved for the tentative return of some 300 persons. A condition of their performance includes submitting the proof of a negative COVID-19 test.
Patterson said that he understands that it would be proceeding while noting that it will ultimately be determined by the travellers meeting the Ministry of Public Health requirements and also having the quota required for the airline to fly.
Earlier, Patterson also said that some persons were having difficulties in submitting the results from the required (PCR) Polymerase chain reaction tests.
He explained while noting that the government wanted the stranded Guyanese to return, it did not want them to return without testing, most of the passengers incoming were getting issues with the test which they are required to get done. Some would have uploaded the test result to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. Some were ineligible.
According to the minister, there are around 300 Guyanese waiting to return home and apart from the Miami flights will be coming from New York, Trinidad and Barbados. All flights will be chartered.
Patterson added that the number of flights would depend on the capacity of the Ministry of Public Health to accommodate the persons who may require placement in quarantine facilities.
“It is determined by the Ministry of Public Health’s capacity, so I would assume it would be no more than one or two per week because there is a limited amount of space even at the private quarantine facilities.
The returning passengers will bear the cost of the flight.
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.
