In keeping with the current threat posed by the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) and the border lockdown in effect, the Canadian High Commission on Saturday facilitated the repatriation of 28 Canadian citizens back to their home on chartered flights.
From left: Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee and Commission Counsellor Ray Fankhauser at the Eugene F Correia Airport terminal on Saturday
When this publication visited the Eugene F Correia airport early Saturday morning, Canadian High Commissioner, Lilian Chatterjee and Commission Counsellor, Ray Fankhauser were at the airport terminal to see the passengers off.
According to Fankhauser, the passengers are being transported on two planes through Trans Guyana Airways to Barbados. Afterwards, they will be transported to Canada via Air Canada. Fankhauser also spoke of some of the challenges, such as making contact with Canadian citizens in Guyana, who are off the grid.
US Ambassador Sarah Ann-Lynch
“Certainly, the issue is always one of coordination. First of all, you have to contact and identify Canadians wherever they may be. And that is more difficult than it may sound, because if we don’t have Canadians registering with us, and advising us of their situation, there is no way for us to go and find them.”
Make contact
According to Fankhauser, the High Commission has been calling Canadian families and trying to reach them through social media in order to update them on their options. But he emphasised the importance of Canadians who wish to return home, reaching out to the High Commission. It was a point reiterated by High Commissioner, Lilian Chatterjee.
“We’ve had to be creative. We don’t have any direct flights to Canada. We knew there was an Air Canada flight. And there was only two days’ notice about the Air Canada flight to Barbados. So, we contacted Trans Guyana, which has been a wonderful partner,” Chatterjee explained to this publication.
“So, we want Canadians to read the news and know that they’re not trapped. There are opportunities. But we have very short notice when these flights are available. So, if they contact us, we can let them know when is the next availability.”
Chatterjee also expressed appreciation for the National COVID-19 Task Force, which granted special permission for them to fly.
Asked about how many Canadians are in line waiting to be repatriated, Fankhauser explained that this number is constantly updating.
“That is a moving number. Over the past 72 hours, we’ve had over 100 Canadians register with us. So obviously our outreach is bearing some kind of fruit. The more we find out about that, the better we can assess the assistance we have to provide. So, we encourage Canadian citizens to contact the Commission. So, we can know better what’s happening on the ground and we can advocate for ways for ways to leave the country.”
Only a few days ago, the High Commission had also assisted 51 Canadians who departed on an Eastern flight. According to Chatterjee in a social media post, they rendered assistance to Canadians throughout last month and will continue to do so.
US Embassy
Meanwhile, the United States Embassy has been doing a similar service for its citizens. In a statement on Saturday from the Embassy in Georgetown, it was announced that they have arranged four relief flights. They warned, however, that they could not offer this service indefinitely and urged those who want to leave to grab the opportunity.
“The US Embassy continues to monitor the current situation in Guyana. We are aware of the hardship border closures have created for US citizens who need to return to the United States. We have been exploring all options to address the current travel disruptions since Guyana closed its airspace to commercial flights on March 18 and have already arranged four relief flights to transport Americans and their family members home,” the US Embassy said in the statement.
“However, we will not be able to offer this service indefinitely. If you are a US citizen still interested in departing Guyana to travel to the United States – we strongly encourage you to complete [our] online form. The Embassy will continue to post updated health, security and travel information through this travel alert system and on the US Embassy Facebook page, as soon as we have further updates,” they added, also urging persons to email any enquiries.
The email addresses include [email protected] (to request assistance with emergency passports) or [email protected] (for addressing concerns over financial cost of repatriation). Their phone numbers are +(592) 225-4900 or +(592) 623-1992 (after hours).
