Statement from COVID-19 Task Force on Guyanese who returned from Barbados

Please see below statement issued by the National COVID-19 Task Force on Guyanese who returned from Barbados Wednesday night:

“The National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) is dismayed at the conduct and behavior of some of the passengers who sought and were granted special permission to return to Guyana from Barbados today.

“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 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 ‘mercy request’ was considered by the NCTF 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 is now 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.

“The NCTF also learnt that 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. These complaints to journalists have now led to multiple negative, misleading and irresponsible media reports.

“The NCTF provides the aforementioned facts with a view to clarifying the misleading media reports and calls on all the persons who have acted irresponsibly and injudiciously to cease and desist and to act honorably, responsibly and with a sense of decency.

“The NCTF 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 jeopardize the chances of other persons stranded elsewhere who are seeking similar humanitarian and mercy considerations as the group from Barbados sought.

“The NCTF thanks 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 is assured that MOPH 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.”