109 returning Guyanese head straight to self-isolation

Jun 07, 2020 News

A total of 109 Guyanese, who were stranded in the United States (US) for more than two months, arrived at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) yesterday afternoon and headed straight to self-isolation.

Passengers in the lounge area at the Miami International Airport.

Dr Bibi Hussain and her family

Kaieteur News understands that the Eastern Airlines’ flight left the Miami International Airport (MIA) at exactly 12:00hrs and arrived at Timehri around 16:30hrs.
The returning group are the first to return from a total 300 approved for repatriation by the National Covid-19 Task Force (NCTF).
Director-General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lt Colonel Egbert Field, told reporters that he was informed by the Ministry of Public Health that passengers were granted the privilege to be uplifted by relatives and transported directly to their respective homes for a one-week isolation.
Field said that such a privilege was allowed after all passengers produced their negative Covid-19 test results to the relevant officials.The GCAA Director informed reporters that the Eastern Airlines’ flight will not return empty but will transport stranded American citizens and permanent citizens in Guyana back to their homeland.

Stranded Guyanese happy to be back on home ground.

Kaieteur News was also informed earlier by the Guyana Consulate based in Miami, Florida USA, Ramzan Ali that a total of 112 Guyanese were scheduled to board but unfortunately a few were left behind.
He explained that these persons failed to produce any evidence of their Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test results for the deadly Coronavirus.
Nevertheless, he is quite grateful that first batch returned safely to their homeland.
Among those who arrived yesterday afternoon is cricket commentator, John Ramsingh, and Guyanese doctor, Bibi Hussain who had made public appeals to members of the NCTF to approve their return.
Hussain had written a letter to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NCTF, Joseph Harmon, explaining her situation and the situation of many other Guyanese stranded abroad.
It was then later reported by Kaieteur News that after no response, they decided to go public after learning that oil workers were given privileges to enter and leave Guyana on approved Exxon chartered flights.
Yesterday, the happy and overjoyed passenger told this media house that the journey home had been a smooth one. They lauded the public health officials at the CJIA airport for a professional and smooth process carried out yesterday.
She said that her fellow Guyanese who were able to be among the first returning batch had been stranded at different locations across the US.
“Some came from Florida, Louisiana, Washington DC, New York, New Jersey, and Texas.”
Hussain detailed that for economy seats, herself and other passengers paid US$499 while those who travelled first class paid US$649.
Earlier this week, one of the members of the Task Force, Minister David Patterson, in a live interview told the nation that two flights per week were approved to bring the 300 stranded Guyanese home.
He had also advised those who did not make it on the first approved to continue registering with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Patterson promised that in “due time” all Guyanese will return home safely.

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