As airports prepare for mid-October reopening incoming passengers must be COVID-19 negative- Health Minister

Last Updated on Thursday, 1 October 2020, 20:59 by Denis Chabrol

Health  Minister Dr. Frank Anthony on Thursday said when Guyana’s two international airports reopen to regular flights later this month, passengers would not be allowed to board flights unless they have a negative PCR test for COVID-19, and they might be required to take a second test on landing.

Dr. Anthony said ideally PCR tests should be done within 72 hours of travelling to Guyana but if the tests are about four days old, arriving passengers would be tested at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and provided results oon after. “The mechanisms will be put in place so that you can be swabbed and that test would be done and once that test is done, you’ll get back your result within a reasonable period of time and if you’re negative, you’re allowed to proceed. If you’re positive, well then you’ll have to be isolated,” he said.

He explained that if the PCR tests are more than seven days old, people would not be permitted to board flights to Guyana.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips added that “there is a demand for the reopening of the airports” and that would done on October 12 by which time  all of the protocols would be put in place.

The Health Minister said PCR negative persons would be allowed to travel to the interior.

Overall,  Dr. Anthony hoped that the “safety net” would prevent more imported COVID-19 cases.

Guyana’s first case dates back to March, 2020 when a Guyanese woman had arrived from Queen’s, New York. She died of complications associated with underlying illnesses – diabetes and hypertension.