2 more relief flights from US next week

– borders with Brazil, Suriname remain closed

The National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) has confirmed two more two repatriation flights scheduled for next week to bring home Guyanese stranded in the United States.
The first flight will be on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, from Miami to Guyana, departing at 08:30h.
The second flight will be the following day, on Thursday, July 2, 2020, from New York’s JFK to Guyana, also departing at 08:30h.
Both relief flights will be operated by Eastern Airlines.
According to the National Task Force in a statement on Tuesday, additional flights are being planned in consultations with various airlines and the details will be provided as these are confirmed.
It was noted that these additional flights will cater for Guyanese stranded in North America and the Caribbean.
The NCTF is reminding that all citizens will be responsible for their own airfare and other expenses and must complete PCR COVID-19 testing and test negative for consideration in addition to filling out and submitting the Repatriation Form.
Upon return to Guyana, all citizens are reminded that they must self-quarantine for a period of seven days.
Officials from the Ministry of Public Health will monitor all persons on self-quarantine.
“The NCTF has prioritised the repatriation of Guyanese nationals stranded in the various countries in the Western Hemisphere,” the missive detailed.
Moreover, the Task Force is urging Guyanese stranded overseas, if they have not yet done so, to contact their nearest diplomatic mission or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directly. Contact details are listed on the Ministry’s website along with the Repatriation Form: www.minfor.gov.gy
The first repatriation flight from the US landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) earlier this month with a total of 109 persons.
Only last week, there were two more repatriation flights from the United States to bring Guyanese home.
In the meantime, there have also been similar relief flights from Trinidad and Barbados via Caribbean Airlines.
Guyana had closed its borders since March 19 amidst the novel coronavirus pandemic. However, its porous borders have been a cause for concern, especially in those border regions.
As such, the NCTF noted in its missive on Tuesday that Guyana’s borders with Brazil and Suriname remain closed and no entry will be permitted to persons in these two countries until further notice.
The neighbouring Portuguese-speaking nation now has over one million confirmed COVID-19 cases with more than 52,000 deaths – the second country globally to pass the 50,000 mark.