CJIA, Eugene Correia airports closed for two weeks
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport((CJIA)
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport((CJIA)

– amid spread of coronavirus

By Naomi Parris
THE Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), on Tuesday, announced the closure of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri and the Eugene Correia Airport at Ogle to all international flights for (two weeks) 14 days.

Addressing reporters at the National Communications Network (NCN) studios, CAA Director-General, Lieutenant Colonel (ret’d) Egbert Field, said the closure will take effect from today at midnight.

“The Civil Aviation Authority, in order to slow the process of this virus and in consultation with the Ministry of Public Health, has decided, with the approval of the Cabinet Taskforce, to close all airports to all international flights,” Director Field stated.
The authority will be in close contact with the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministerial Taskforce to ensure the 14 days are adequate and if necessary the airports will remain closed as instructed by the ministry.

“We will continue to maintain our contact and communication with the Ministry of Public Health and task force to ensure that these 14 days are adequate. If so desired and requested, we will continue closure after 14 days,” he stated.

CAA Director-General, Lieutenant Colonel (ret’d), Egbert Field

The director-general further revealed that only local flights, cargo flights, MedEvac flights, technical stops by airplanes for fuel and special authorised flights will be allowed to traverse.

However, he noted that while local air travel will be allowed, they will be closely monitored.
“We will still be conducting our inspection on domestic flights. Inspectors out at the airport will be geared with masks and gloves to protect themselves and anyone in close contact with them.”

In addition, Director Field stated that the Civil Aviation Authority has been working closely with the Ministry of Public Health to minimise the spread of the deadly virus.

The Civil Aviation Authority has been conducting inspections at the international airports to ensure that they have systems in place to address the virus outbreak, said Field.

He stated that in cases where arriving passengers might have been exposed to the coronavirus, the Civil Aviation Authority has been providing the Health Ministry with the contact information for those said passengers.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Public Health announced that four persons have been tested positive with the dreaded Covid-19 virus. They are all relatives of a woman who contracted the virus in New York, but travelled back home and passed away last week. Her husband, daughter and two other relatives have been tested positive. Authorities have also contacted several persons who travelled on the same flight with the woman to Guyana who might have been exposed to the disease. Hundreds also attended her wake at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara and interacted with relatives who were exposed to the woman.

Guyana has now joined Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname in closing off their airports to international flights. Suriname, last week, took a decision to close the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport, also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport after recording its first imported case of Covid-19 on Friday.

American Airlines recently suspended its services to Guyana and a number of other countries as it steps up precautions against the coronavirus. However, with the closure of the international airports, the Region’s two main carriers, Caribbean Airlines and LIAT are expected to face major setbacks since both airlines operate multiple daily flights into Guyana.

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