Guyana will begin the gradual reopening of its airspace from July 1st with a controlled number of flights coming into country, Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Lt. Col. (ret’d) Egbert Field announced yesterday.
Field made the announcement during a webinar, titled “Path to Clear Skies,” where the aviation body unveiled its four-phase reopening plan to facilitate incoming and outgoing flights.
During the webinar, stakeholders spoke of measures that are being implemented to facilitate the movement of passengers through the two international airports to limit the spread of COVID-19.
These measures include fumigation of check-in and arrival, immigration and customs areas; erecting sanitisation stations at entrances/exits; port health booths for passenger evaluation and disinfection and sanitisation; placement of signage and social distance markings; installation of thermal imaging equipment to monitor passengers’ temperatures; and enhancement of crowd control protocols.
Field, however noted that the full reopening of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri and the Eugene F Correia International Airport will depend on the state of readiness of the other international ports where flights to Guyana originate and Guyana’s Public Health ministry.
A statement from the GCAA last night said the four-phase reopening plan proposed by the GCAA comprises an initial planning phase, which runs for approximately three to four weeks and includes the facilitation of repatriation flights, special authorised flights, outgoing flights, technical stops, medevac flights, training, and development of regulations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for aviation personnel and aircraft operators.
It said an implementation phase would follow from July 1st to July 31st, 2020, and would see the reopening of the airports for limited flights for incoming citizens, permanent residents, international workers, diplomats and international agencies. The third phase, which runs from August 1st to December 31st, 2020, entails the expansion of the number of flights coming to Guyana, and the removal of travel restrictions from different states, the statement added.
Field said the final phase will depend on several factors, including the readiness of the other states, the removal of travel restrictions by those states and the number of active COVID-19 cases in Guyana and other countries and ports of origin of flights to Guyana. The final phase is anticipated to start in January 2021 and is expected to run for a period of three months.
According to Field, much logistical work is required to ensure safety remains a priority as the country navigates the pandemic and looks to reopen its airspaces. “We will have few flights operating, bringing passengers in the first phase but it will not be the full complement of flights. At this stage we will have flights with citizens, permanent residents, international workers, diplomats and repatriation flights. There will be a phased approach to international flights,” Field told Stabroek News last night. He explained that through continuous assessment they will be able to determine whether there is a need to extend or reduce the timetable for each phase.
“We will have to look at what is working and what is not at the end of every stage and make a decision. We will have to monitor how passengers are adapting to these measures that are being implemented. But also this is why we are developing regulations for the Standard Operational Procedures so we can hold people accountable if they fail to follow these measures,” Field added.
Passengers will have to undergo regular screenings and have to adhere to strict sanitation, physical distancing and protective measures when travelling in and out of the country.
Further, he stated that for the entire programme to work it will require the buy-in of all airlines and air services operators.
Stranded passengers
Touching on the passengers who are stranded abroad, Field said that a second return flight is being planned following the first return flight last Saturday. He noted that there has been some difficulty in mobilising all the passengers at one port.
Passengers being allowed to return home are those that have tested negative for COVID-19.
Explaining how the process works, Field said his agency helps to coordinate an airline to transport the passengers, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the respective consulates coordinate with the stranded Guyanese.
He said once the prospective returning traveler has produced a negative test and completed the repatriation form and submitted it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Health Ministry verifies the authenticity of the test results. A list of names is subsequently presented to the National COVID-19 Task Force for approval. Those names, upon approval, are shared with the airline and persons are advised to book their tickets, he explained.
He noted that only persons on the list are allowed to book tickets. Upon arriving in Guyana, passengers are subjected to a mandatory seven-day quarantine.
Meanwhile, Field said while they have not coordinated any flights for stranded passengers who have not been tested should there be one they will be subjected to a 14-day stay at a Ministry of Public Health quarantine facility.
“All the passengers that came on the last flight were tested and the next group will be tested. We have not decided on flights for persons who haven’t been tested but should there be one, there will be no mixing of passengers. All non-tested passengers will come on one flight,” he said.
He noted, too, that a decision as such will depend on the Public Health Ministry and its capacity to handle those passengers.
Stabroek News also understands that American Airlines has signaled its intention to resume operations by July 7th.
Already, CJIA has implemented measures and erected signage advising passengers of what is required of them.
Among the measures adopted is the wearing of masks by passengers and staff, checking of body temperature, placement of social distancing markers, and the removal of seats in areas accessible to the general public. CJIA has suspended the use of boarding bridges for the time being but has not indicated when it will be brought back into service, local aviation news site, Guyana Aviation reported.
The two major airports were closed to incoming international flights from midnight of March 18 for a two-week period. That period was subsequently extended until May and then further extended until June 3 and now until June 17 in line with COVID-19 emergency measures.
