Guyana’s ban on international travel has been extended to May 1, 2020 to prevent against imported cases of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

The ban first took effect on March 18, 2020 for 14 days and has been extended for an additional 30 days based on the recommendation of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson made this public on Tuesday confirming that the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) would be closed until the end of the period. Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle earlier on Tuesday, Director General of GCAA Lt. Col. (ret’d) Egbert Field said that the extension is recommended by the GCAA as it continues to protect Guyana from visitors from countries where cases of the virus have soared.

Guyana recorded its first imported case of the virus on March 11, 2020 from a 52-year-old Guyanese female who had travelled from the United States of America and who has since passed. To slow the spread of COVID-19 in the country, the country closed its airports to all international flights for two weeks beginning at midnight on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.
When the decision was announced, Field stated that based on consultation with Guyana’s Ministerial Task Force, if deemed necessary, the period could be extended.

EXCEPTIONS BEING APPROVED

With the ban, exception has been given to outgoing flights; cargo flights; medevac flight; technical stops by airplanes for fuel and special authorised flights. Field said that over the two-week period these exceptions were utilised and were approved by the Task Force based on requests submitted.

“These are cargo flights which continued; we had outgoing flights and I noted that [through] the US Ambassador over 800 persons were taken out by Eastern Airlines and that is because we opened the door for them to come in but the arriving flights did not bring passengers; it was only on outbound flights we took passengers,” he updated.

On March 23, 2020, the US Embassy in Guyana, taking to its Facebook page, had put out a survey of six questions seeking to determine the number of US nationals interested in departing Guyana. “If you are an American citizen having difficulty departing Guyana, please complete the survey so that we can better track how many Americans may need help. We are trying to keep up with high numbers of calls and emails from American citizens. There are no flights departing Guyana today. We will keep you informed when we learn of possible flight options,” the short message encouraged.

Field told the newspaper that the aforementioned assistance is still ongoing as another flight has been approved for today [Wednesday] which has also been approved by the Task Force. Similar provisions have been made for nationals of the United Kingdom (UK).

THE SECTOR WILL SURVIVE

Prior to the international ban, many persons were still eager to travel having convinced themselves that they would remain careful. The GCAA Director-General said that the decision by Guyana was a strategic one and only expected in the time of such a deadly pandemic. “The restriction on travel was very significant and an important item when it comes to restricting the spread of the disease. You cannot [protect] your house and you still have a window which is likely opened,” he explained. “You have to close your windows and clean your house and I think that is what the authorities are doing here. Putting the restrictions really prevented infected persons from arriving in Guyana from known [COVID-19] destinations.”

The GCAA Head reminded that the highest number of visitors who come to Guyana are from the United States and from the port of New York which is now the epicenter of the virus.

As of March 31, 2020, New York State recorded its highest daily increases in coronavirus deaths and cases surpassing the total reported in China’s Hubei province, where the pandemic began. Almost 10,000 new cases were added to the state’s new toll of 75,795.
Field stated: “It was very important for us to put down this restriction bearing in mind that the restriction really helped our Public Health Services that they didn’t have to deal with any new cases from overseas.” Based on his expertise in the field, he is confident that the aviation sector — particularly airlines which travel to Guyana — will be able to get back on their feet after the global effects of the virus have subsided. “I strongly believe they will be able to bounce back,” he said positively. “They suffered a loss and that is understandable because no flights are being executed but I’m positive they will be able to come back.”