Fully vaccinated people allowed to travel at Guyana/ Brazil crossing

With the Guyana/ Brazil crossing at the Takutu Bridge in Lethem, Region Nine reopened from Mondays to Fridays, fully vaccinated people are allowed to travel into Guyana once they present a negative test result from a PCR or antigen COVID-19 test.

This is according to the Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony, who spoke during his daily COVID-19 update on Tuesday. For context, those individuals who have received both doses of a double-dose COVID-19 vaccine or the single Johnson and Johnson vaccine are considered fully vaccinated.

And, Dr. Anthony reminded members of the public that this is in keeping with the directives of the updated COVID-19 Emergency Measures published in the Official Gazette. According to these measures, travellers are required to be fully vaccinated and must present either COVID-19 test for entry into Guyana.

The announcement that the Guyana/ Brazil crossing would be operational from Mondays to Fridays was made on Monday night through a notice from the Director of the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) Colonel Nazrul Hussain.

The notice, which is dated November 15, states that the decision to open the Lethem crossing on every weekday takes immediate effect.

Previously, permission was granted for opening of the crossing on Fridays to accommodate the movement of people for any purpose. That added to the pre-existing arrangement between the two countries that allowed for essential goods and supplies to be brought into Guyana only on Thursdays.

The Takutu Bridge was closed for more than one year, in 2020, prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Flights to and from Brazil were also halted. The Thursday arrangement was instituted to allow Region Nine to receive supplies from Brazil.

It is unclear whether flights to and from Brazil will be allowed to resume now that there is an even further relaxation of the travel restrictions between the two countries.