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Flight out of Barbados… Quarantine necessary to safeguard public – Health Minister
Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence, is reassuring citizens that mandatory quarantine of 17 passengers, who arrived on the flight from Barbados on Wednesday night is necessary to safeguard the public against any possibility of a spread of COVID -19 or the coronavirus.
The quarantine facility for passengers who arrived from Barbados
The Minister responded to complaints over the situation during an update on national efforts to tackle the virus.
During her address, Minister Lawrence stressed that the contingent agreed that they would be in quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival.
“Let me take this opportunity to apprise persons who are inquiring about the necessary steps after quarantine or isolation. After the 14 days of quarantine, persons will be evaluated by a medical officer and based on the review will be cleared or placed on additional days of quarantine. If cleared they will be reevaluated after seven days,” the Minister said.
“For those persons in isolation, they will be held for 14 days after which, if no new symptoms develop, within in three days prior to the 15th day, they will be tested twice in 24 hours. If negative, they will be cleared but those with positive results will remain in further isolation,” she added.
At this point, Minister Lawrence reiterated that, “these measures are an effort to protect all of us.”
In a similar vein, the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) issued a statement expressing dismay at the conduct and behaviour of some of the passengers who sought and were granted special permission to return to Guyana from Barbados.
According the statement, by way of background, a group of Guyanese who claimed to have been stranded in Barbados made representation through various means to the NCTF and sought permission for a flight to repatriate them to Guyana.
“They claimed that they were caught in difficult circumstances with nowhere to stay and little money at hand to sustain themselves in Barbados and pleaded on humanitarian grounds. The group proposed to pool their finances to cover the cost of the flight.”
The NCTF said that it considered the ‘mercy request’ and permission was granted on the condition that all the persons must submit themselves to the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) protocols and that this included but was not limited to screening and a mandatory 14-day quarantine period at a government facility.
“It was specifically explained that the quarantine will not be either ‘self-quarantine’ or ‘home quarantine’. It was further explained that should the need arise, the quarantine period could be extended.
The NCTF was assured that all the persons agreed, in full, to these conditions.”
The NCTF said that it was therefore astonished that almost immediately upon arrival in Guyana, several of the persons objected to being quarantined and objected to being housed at the designated quarantine facility.
“Some of the persons raised objections about not being permitted to “see”, “hug” and “kiss” their relatives who ill-advisedly gathered at the airport at which they arrived.
The NCTF is also shocked and alarmed that some of the persons contacted media personnel and reportedly complained vociferously and vehemently about the conditions, which they had agreed to as prerequisites for permission being granted to return to Guyana, the NCTF said adding that it provided the facts with a view to clarifying the misleading media reports
Further, the NCTF said it “wishes to advise that it is reviewing a multitude of requests for special permission to be granted for flights to land in Guyana and the actions of some of the persons who arrived on the flight from Barbados can likely jeopardise the chances of other persons stranded elsewhere who are seeking similar humanitarian and mercy considerations as the group from Barbados sought.”
The NCTF nevertheless expressed gratitude to those persons among the group who have acted with reason and honour in upholding the agreement to be quarantined and who have willingly submitted themselves to the Ministry of Public Health protocols.
The NCTF said it is assured that Public Health Ministry and the relevant agencies will ensure that the best is done to comfortably accommodate all the persons during the quarantine period and hopes for a safe return to their homes and relatives in the shortest possible time.
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