FOLLOWING the recent announcement that only those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be allowed to enter Guyana, the Ministry of Health has now given the greenlight for partially vaccinated Guyanese to be allowed entry until November 30, 2021.

The new exemption was prepared by Chief Medical Officer (ag), Dr. Narine Singh, and announced by the ministry on Friday. It targets partially vaccinated Guyanese who departed Guyana on or before October 31.

The new COVID-19 emergency measures, which will remain in place until November 31, 2021, states, “Before any person is allowed to enter Guyana, whether by land or sea, that person shall present to the relevant authorities a negative Molecular Biological Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, or an approved antigen test taken within seventy-two hours of the date of their arrival in Guyana and proof of vaccination.”
The announcement to allow partially vaccinated persons a window for re-entry into the country comes after local media outlets highlighted the plight of many Guyanese who would have been stranded in the United States due to their partially vaccinated status.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 emergency measures for November also signaled an additional change to the entry requirements.

Moving forward with its mandate of making Guyana’s main ports of entry more accessible while minimising the number of imported cases, the government, last week, announced its decision to accept negative antigen COVID-19 tests at its land and sea ports.

Since the re-opening of Guyana’s main ports of entry in 2020, the government had only recognised the use of negative PCR tests at the air, land and sea ports.

The Cheddi Jagan International Airport, on October 30, 2021, announced a similar decision to accept negative antigen COVID-19 tests.

A notice posted on the airport’s Facebook page read, “Effective from November 1, persons requiring entry into Guyana must provide a negative PCR or Antigen test, taken within 72hrs of their arrival in Guyana and proof of being ‘fully’ vaccinated.”

Antibody test, rapid test using saliva sample and home testing kits are still not being accepted at the country’s main ports of entry.

All persons travelling to Guyana, 18 years and over, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. They are required to present their vaccination card bearing their names, name of vaccine, date vaccine was given and batch number from an accredited health facility at the port of entry.