– says Dr. Anthony, other protocols being established ahead of re-opening of airports

By Navendra Seoraj
AS Guyana moves to reopen its international airports after October 12, Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, has assured that only persons who test negative for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will be allowed to enter the country.

Guyana’s two international airports, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and Eugene F. Correia International Airport, have been closed to incoming commercial, international flights since midnight on March 18, after Guyana recorded its first COVID-19 case on March 11.

The airports were initially scheduled to close for a two-week period; however, as cases in the country increased, the closure continued to be extended.
And, while the protocols for reopening the airport are still being finalised, Minister Anthony said passengers would not be allowed to travel to Guyana unless they have a negative COVID-19 result from a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.

Ideally, the test would have had to be done within 72 hours, but once it is slightly over that time, persons will have to be tested upon arrival into Guyana.
“The mechanisms will be put in place so that you can be swabbed and that test would be done and once that test is done, you’ll get back your result within a reasonable period of time and if you’re negative, you’re allowed to proceed,” said Dr. Anthony, noting that persons who test positive will have to be isolated.

Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips said other protocols for the reopening of the airports are still be finalised.
“We will take the opportunity between now and then (October 12) to put protocols in place…we will not just reopen, there are a number of protocols we have to put in place,” said Prime Minister Phillips.

When asked what led to the decision to reopen the airports, the Prime Minister said the ‘demand’ for reopening the airports was what prompted discussions related to this topic.
Director-General of Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field, when contacted by this newspaper, said the authority has already started preparations for the reopening of the airports.

PREPARED
“We are making sure that the airport has everything in place, so we are just doing a final check to ensure that the airports have the necessary measures for sanitisation, social distancing and temperature machines are in place,” said Field.

Field said Guyana’s aviation sector, like many others around the world, has taken a ‘hit’ because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The director-general stressed the severity of the impact by describing it in one word, “catastrophic”.

“The pandemic dealt a terrible blow to aviation industry…there was loss of revenue and individuals, people have not been able to move at will…so this goes far beyond the financial impact on the industry, there are emotional and social impacts which were felt,” Field lamented.

Reeling from the devastating impact that the coronavirus has been having on international air travel, the GCAA recently received a GYD$600 million bailout to ensure that the regulatory agency remains internationally compliant.

In speaking about the social effect of the disease, the director-general said passengers were not able to attend funerals and other important occasions because airlines were not plying the destination. The only way to curb the spread of this disease is to adhere to social distancing guidelines and other preventative measures implemented by local authorities.