PERSONS found presenting forged COVID-19 test results for international travel will be prosecuted and fined $25,000 for the offence, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA) said in an advisory on Wednesday.
Egbert Field, Director-General of the GCCA, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, stated that since the reopening of the airports for international travel, Guyana’s main port of entry has experienced incidents of persons trying to forge negative COVID-19 results.
“We have been informed on various occasions by responsible individuals that this seems to be an act that is being perpetuated. We have issued the warning because the situation has become more permanent because we don’t know who’s coming in with the virus and they are presenting fraudulent reports that they are okay, so that’s the reason that we have reissued it. There seems to be an upsurge in the presentation of forged ocuments to the airlines,” Field said.

Since the airports reopened on October 12, 2020, persons entering and leaving the country are required to present a negative PCR test within 72 hours before their travel time; this is to ensure the safety of both passengers and staff of the airport.
Eureka Medical Laboratories (EML), since October 2020, has partnered with the Ministry of Health and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) to facilitate PCR COVID-19 testing services at Guyana’s main international port of entry. Passengers with a negative PCR test that exceeds 72 hours would be required to get tested upon arrival at the airport. In addition to persons found to be providing falsified COVID-19 PCR tests being charged, those persons would be put on GCAA’s “no flying list” and will be prevented from flying in the future, the GCAA release said.