A sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in recent days has seen the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) delaying the start of Phase Two of the reopening of international airports by a month.
The GCAA yesterday said in a press release that after consultation with the Ministry of Public Health it had adjusted its Four Phase Reopening Plan for international airports. It said that this decision was made after careful examination of the current COVID-19 situation in Guyana and other international ports where flights to Guyana originate. In recent days, Guyana has seen steep increases in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Director General, Lt. Col. Egbert Field said in the release that the GCAA and the National COVID-19 Task Force consider the health of Guyanese and the nation as top priority, thus, it was imperative to vary the Four Phase Reopening Plan.
Phase one which would have ended on June 30, 2020 is now extended to July 31, 2020 and Phase two will now begin on August 1, 2020. The proposed dates in the GCAA Four Phase Reopening Plan will continue to be dictated by the Covid-19 situation, the release added.
Under Phase one, the following flights will continue to be permitted:
limited repatriation flights.
outgoing flights, cargo flights, medivac flights, technical stops, and special authorised flights.
In light of the foregoing, the GCCA said that no airline has been granted approval for the conduct of scheduled commercial operations.
The GCAA says it has drafted Regulations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to guide aviation stakeholders on the measures which are expected to aid in mitigation of the spread of Covid-19 and the full resumption of aviation-related activities.
The Authority urged the travelling public’s understanding and patience “during these unprecedented times”.
