–passengers, stakeholders must comply with outlined requirements
–GCAA Field says the meticulous process is necessary

THE first flight of stranded Guyanese identified for controlled re-entry by the government is expected to come from Barbados next week. The following week, it is hoped that another flight will bring Guyanese home from North America.

The Guyana Chronicle has been reliably informed by Director-General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field that the potential travellers on the first flight are in the process of filling out the necessary forms for evaluation. On May 22, the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) announced the approval of the controlled re-entry of approximately 300 Guyanese stranded overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic.

These individuals would have registered with the various diplomatic missions on or before May 21, 2020, and will return to the country after testing negative for COVID-19.
Field told the newspaper that there are Guyanese stranded in North America, Europe, the Caribbean, South Africa, as close as neighbouring Suriname and even as far as Malta. However, the government is limited with regards to the repatriation assistance it can provide, due to a number of factors.

“The government understands the plight of stranded Guyanese,” he said. “The government has not abandoned the stranded Guyanese passengers out there, it’s just that we have to work with a phased approach to ensure that the measures and the conditions are met, so when they arrive here, they can be assured of gaining entry.”

A STRICT PROCESS

Field explained that clearing the way for these Guyanese to return home is not as easy as it may sound; that there are logistics that must be planned out carefully, and other financial requirements that must be met.

For instance, before the flight coming from Barbados is confirmed, all persons authorised to travel have to first fill out a Repatriation Form provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The form collects basic contact information; travel history; medical history and accommodation preference for quarantine in the case that such is needed.

Regarding the latter, prior to being accepted, every individual must agree, by way of their signature, that a negative PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test does not necessarily exempt them from quarantine.

They must also agree that the said quarantine period could be at least 14 days, and that they will comply with the quarantine rules issued under the State of Emergency by the Ministry of Health.

Field said that the NCTF has learnt from its previous experience, whereby an overseas-based Guyanese student, who was taken into institutional quarantine upon his arrival here from Barbados in March, took the matter to court.

Though he subsequently lost the case, Field said that moving forward, it will be mandatory for all returning Guyanese to agree to possible quarantining and other measures for their own safety and the safety of others.

TRAVEL LOGISTICS

Meanwhile, in order for persons to travel from a particular country, the Foreign Affairs Ministry also has to determine how many persons are interested. This is because the number of persons travelling influences the availability and cost of the flights, which are chartered and not scheduled.

“If it’s $20,000 for the charter that LIAT is going to invoice for that trip, it means that the 50 or 60 passengers will have to pay for that, which is the cost of the charter, divided by the number of passengers,” Field explained. He also noted that LIAT has a minimum number of persons that it will take on a flight.

Going back to the importance of the Repatriation Form, the Director-General said that it is only based on the approval of the individuals who apply that a list of only those names will be sent to the requisite airlines which are authorised to books the said flight.

The GCAA Head said that he was made aware that Eastern Airlines has been accepting payment from North American-Guyanese passengers for flights, but the airline has not yet been presented with an approved list of names.

He said that the Government of Guyana is thereby not responsible for any challenges which could arise.

“I was told that Eastern Airlines is selling tickets for a flight. I want to make this clear, the Task Force and the Civil Aviation Authority has not authorised any flights for Eastern Airlines as yet, and they have not indicated the passengers who should be on that flight [who] would have to fill up the forms. This is in process right now, so, if Eastern Airlines is accepting monies from individuals for flights, I’m sorry to say that they have not been given any approval for flights as yet,” Field said.

Though the process takes time, he said that it is a necessary process to prevent imported cases of the virus. The NCTF and its stakeholders are working towards facilitating the flight from Barbados by June 2, 2020, via LIAT, at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport. Meanwhile, the flight from North America, a much larger flight, will be facilitated via the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

Field would like to remind the public that these developments do not mean that Guyana’s international travel ban has been lifted, but that the government is allowing for the gradual opening for limited repatriation flights.