168 more stranded Guyanese return from US

A third batch of Guyanese who were stranded in the United States because of COVID-19 restrictions returned home on Wednesday.

The Eastern Airlines flight from New York with 168 Guyanese onboard landed this afternoon. It brings the total number of those repatriated to 353.

The first batch returned from Miami, Florida on June 6 and the second batch on June 16, also from Miami.  

Before boarding a flight, all passengers are required submit a repatriation form to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a negative COVID-19 test 48 hours before they travel.

All the passengers are also subjected to a mandatory strict 7-day home quarantine once they arrive in Guyana.

Meanwhile, stranded Guyanese in the Caribbean have been experiencing difficulties in returning. A Caribbean Airlines Flight which was scheduled bring home stranded Guyanese from Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago on June 11 was cancelled due to mechanical issues.

The News Room also understands that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs failed to submit the list of passengers to the airline 48hrs before the flight was scheduled to depart.

Guyana closed all ports of entry on March 17 to curb the spread of COVID-19. The country’s two international airports are scheduled to reopen on July 01 in a phased manner.