Guyana records 48 imported COVID-19 cases since reopening of int’l airports

A total of 48 imported cases of COVID-19 were recorded since the reopening of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri and the Eugene F Correia International Airport on October 12, 2020.
This was announced by Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony on Wednesday during his daily update to the public on the pandemic. However, he noted that since the recommencement of services between Guyana and Suriname, there has been no report of any positive cases from that country being detected. This service was reopened on February 21, 2021.

The Minister reiterated that persons who arrived in Guyana have had to produce a negative PCR test, but if three days had passed since the administering of the test, they would have to retest once they arrived at Guyana’s ports of entry.
“Actually, when we did the retests, we have found that those persons were positive and we have taken the relevant steps to isolate them. So, since reopening the airports to international travel, we have detected 48 cases,” Dr Anthony related.
Presently, Eureka Medical Laboratories (EML) has been facilitating PCR COVID-19 testing services at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
This was implemented as part of Government’s safety measures for the resumption of commercial flights.

It was reported that as part of the Government’s measures to curb the spread of the disease, all arriving passengers are required to have a valid, negative PCR test that was done within 72 hours.
The first commercial flight upon resumption was on October 13, 2020 and saw some 13 out of the 44 passengers who arrived having PCR tests that were taken more than 72 hours before touch-down, and Eureka Medical Laboratories conducted the testing on these 13 passengers at the airport. Their test results were negative for the COVID-19 virus.
Eureka has noted that its testing team has been on site at the CJIA every day since the airports reopened. It has assured that test kits are sufficient to facilitate testing at CJIA.
Similarly, passengers using the ferry service between Moleson Creek, Corentyne and South Drain, Suriname are required to produce a negative PCR test, in keeping with the gazetted measures.
Dr Anthony has stated that once a negative result is presented within the 72-hour time frame, travellers would be allowed to enter the country.