All ports of entry are now open to facilitate travel into and out of Guyana, inclusive of flights between neighbouring Brazil.
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport
This was announced by Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Thursday, when asked about flights between the two countries. The Government had tightened security at the border regions in January after COVID-19 variants were detected in Brazil, and this had also extended to flights.
Now flights are to resume, with passengers required to show documentation of full vaccination and a negative PCR or antigen test.
“Right now, we’re following our protocol for international travel, and that is: once people can produce a document to say they’re fully vaccinated, along with either a PCR or antigen test, they will be allowed in to Guyana. We have reopened all of our ports of entry following these guidelines, and Brazil is no exception,” Dr Anthony said.
This week, National Emergency COVID-19 measures have allowed for the Lethem Crossing to be open from Monday to Friday to facilitate the movement of people. Initially, the crossing was opened only for goods on Thursdays. However, in September, blockades and protest action by Brazilians over the closure of the border sparked discussions between authorities of both countries to enable arrangements for the movement of people and goods. In October, commute was facilitated on Fridays.
A release from the Task Force gave the green light for the extension.
Even with the borders being closed, a 24-hour joint security with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) on the Takutu Bridge had been put in place to combat the illegal entry and departure of persons. There are areas that are prone to illegal entry and exit between Guyana and Brazil, the most popular of which is the village of Saint Ignatius, which is located in the Rupununi Savannahs of Guyana. Persons are known to be smuggled across the river to enter or leave Guyana.
Before any person is allowed to enter Guyana, whether by land or sea, that person is required by law to present to the relevant authorities a negative Molecular PCR test taken within 72 hours of their arrival, along with proof of vaccination.
The World Health Organization has reported that, as at Thursday, there have been 21,965,684 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 611,478 deaths in Brazil. As at November 12, a total of 272,232,365 vaccine doses have been administered.
Since the virus was first detected in the Wuhan province of China, there have been several mutations. From the first-discovered Alpha strain in the United Kingdom last year, authorities have moved to trace the Beta and Gamma variants. However, the Delta variant has been dominant in many countries, including the US and UK. It has caused a resurgence of the infections in Portugal and current spikes in Russia.
The Delta variant, which was first detected in India, is said to be the most contagious yet. In fact, the transmissibility is said to be twice higher than the UK’s Alpha variant.
