Stranded citizens of Guyana in the USA

Apr 13, 2020 Letters

---

DEAR EDITOR,

I write this letter with hopes that you are able to understand our plea and assist us in any way possible. Myself and my family travelled from Guyana to the USA in early March for a family event. We arrived on March 13th and were supposed to travel back to Guyana on March 27th. However, on March 17th, we were given a one-day notice of travel restrictions by the Government of Guyana, in which the borders would be closed to all international travelers, including citizens of Guyana. Multiple attempts were made to rebook a flight on this day to enter our home country before the borders were closed but they all proved futile. The initial border restriction extended from March 18th to March 31st. However, upon expiration of this time period, the flight restrictions were extended for a longer time, up to May 1st, 2020. As a result, my family and I have been stucked in Florida until such time that the Government decides to reopen the borders. I understand the reason for closing the borders, which should result in reduction of possible imported cases of COVID-19 and hence reduction in the total number of infected cases. Many countries have also implemented these methods in order to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. However, most of those countries, if not all, have made arrangements to have their citizens returned to their countries, and have allowed more than a one-day notice for citizens to return. According to WHO guidelines, any person travelling from an area of high transmission of COVID-19 is required to self-quarantine for 14 days. The officials in Guyana responsible for preventing the spread of COVID-19 are referring that Guyanese do not routinely follow guidelines and so they are forced to have mandatory 14 days institutional quarantine. Currently the COVID-19 Task Force in Guyana refers that they do not possess the capacity to deal with the return of the citizens of Guyana from foreign countries. I understand that implementation of these mandatory institutional quarantines can exhaust our limited resources and may even further assist with spreading of the COVID-19 infection, as those persons are not tested and can be asymptomatic carriers. My suggestion is home quarantine once properly implemented and serious fines attached should anyone breach these quarantine protocols. According to an article published by Newsroom on 4th April 2020, approximately 75 citizens are stranded in USA and regionally, collectively. We are citizens of Guyana and the Government of Guyana is responsible for us regardless of which part of the world we may be. So if they do not have the facility to quarantine everyone, why is it not possible for the authorities to test 75 persons? If tested to be positive, those persons can be institutionally isolated and the persons who are negative can be free to return home and follow the guidelines of social distancing and curfew implemented. Another option is that if the private hospitals gets involved in testing, the government can make it mandatory for us to pay to be tested before we are allowed home. All these options discussed can therefore overcome the challenges highlighted by the authorities that are preventing their citizens from returning to Guyana.
Reverting to what is more concerning for me currently is the fact that I am a citizen of Guyana, and the Government of Guyana is not taking responsibility for its citizens. It is frustrating to be in a foreign country during this global crisis, where I have limited rights as I am not a citizen of the USA. I must also mention that I spoke to Honourable Ramzan Ali, consulate General to Guyana in Miami, who refers that he can organize a flight from Miami to carry citizens of Guyana to CJIA, and this was related to the Government of Guyana. However, they have refused to allow this thus far, yet they are allowing citizens of foreign countries to leave Guyana to return to their respective homeland. Since Mr Ramzan Ali can organize a flight only for citizens, the authorities do not have to lift the border restrictions, but only permit this one flight to land with Guyanese citizens.
Currently my 58-year-old mother and my 3-year-old niece are home alone in Guyana and they have to rely on relatives to assist with groceries and other necessities, which is done only if these relatives are available. My father, who is with me in Florida is a chronic hypertensive patient who requires prescription medication that is currently finished and cannot be obtained here. My brother, who is also with me, has a wife who is six months pregnant and needs him home since there is nobody there to care for her. I am a medical doctor currently employed by GPHC and I strongly believe that my skills will be best utilised in Guyana. I am also a resident in the General Surgery post graduate programme and these border restrictions are hampering my studies. Have the authorities even consider how the Guyanese citizens stranded abroad are affected? All other countries that have imposed border restrictions have made provisions to have their citizens returned home and even to date, most countries, have left their airspace opened for their citizens and permanent residents only.
My question now remains, what will happen with my family in Guyana should an unfortunate event occur? What will we do when our money is finished in USA? We cannot access our bank accounts from here. If any of the citizens stranded in foreign countries fall ill, what will happen to us? We do not have health insurance in these foreign countries, so why is the authorities leaving the responsibility of taking care of their citizens on the foreign administration? If these border restrictions extend beyond May 1st, 2020, what happens to us stucked in USA? We have jobs in Guyana which we risk losing if we do not return soon. Who will pay our bills? For those in charge please listen to our plea and allow your citizens to return to Guyana. Thank you.

Yours respectfully,
Stranded Guyanese

---

---