The country’s two international airports yesterday said they were ready to begin receiving passengers from today and the EFCIA said it expected its first flight from Caribbean Airlines (CAL) around October 19th.
As Guyana’s international airports reopen from today, incoming passengers who hold negative COVID-19 test results older than 72 hours will be subjected to a second PCR test and are likely to have to wait at the airports for approximately four hours before receiving their results.
According to the guidelines put in place by airport authorities and the Ministry of Health, “If the PCR test is done within 72 hrs of travel, the passenger will not be required to do another PCR test on arrival. If the PCR test is done within 4-7 days of travel, the passenger will be required to do a PCR test on arrival,” Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony said.
Andrew Boyle, Chief Executive Officer at Eureka Medical Laboratory, which is facilitating the tests, last night explained to Stabroek News that the samples will be collected at the airport and transported via an ambulance to the laboratory.
He explained that incoming passengers will have to pay $16,000 for the test and the results will be communicated to health officers at the airport electronically.
According to Boyle, passengers will have to wait since the samples will first have to be collected then transported to the laboratory for testing.
While his laboratory is happy to offer this service to incoming passengers, he noted that it will be an uphill task for his staff as they aim deliver the results in a timely manner.
Some airlines are likely to demand that a negative PCR test not be older than 72 hours as a condition for boarding.
In a three-page advertisement published in the Sunday Stabroek yesterday, both international airports said that they are prepared to begin receiving international flights. The airports stated that they have put strict steps in place to help control and stem the spread of COVID-19.
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill announced that the guidelines adopted by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority follow those of the International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Air Transport Association.
“These measure are designed to ensure the safety of the travelling public. The Cheddi Jagan International Airport recently attained the Health Accreditation from the Airports Council International, Latin America and the Caribbean. This accreditation is testimony of the airport’s ongoing commitment in prioritizing health and safety measures for all travellers…” Edghill said in the advertisement.
He noted too that the Eugene F. Correia International Airport (EFCIA) is also in a state of readiness to accommodate international flights. GCAA and health officials conducted several assessments of the airport and are satisfied with the measures in place, Minister Edghill said.
Further Col. (Ret’d) Anthony Mekdeci, Chief Executive Officer of the EFCIA said that the airport has met all the requirements outlined to them by the GCAA and health authorities.
He said that from around October 19 they are prepared to receive their first flight from CAL. The airline has not issued a statement about flights to Guyana.
“What has happened is all the protocols that have been recommended and required, we have put in place, like social distancing, sanitization, masks are in place. All of that has been done to make sure we are ready as far as we are concerned right now, we are ready,” Mekdeci underscored.
Edghill advised passengers to plan their travel itinerary ahead of time and be prepared to arrive early at international airports to give themselves enough time to go through the various screening protocols established.
Meanwhile, Anthony explained that passengers will be allowed to book flights once their PCR test is validated by Guyanese authorities.
“We have put the necessary mechanisms in place for you to have that second test at the airport. We will be able to do the swabbing and then we will do the analysis and while that is being done, you will have to wait at the airport. Once we confirm the results and your test is negative then you will be allowed to leave the airport,” Anthony explained in the advertisement.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the CJIA Board of Directors, Sanjeev Datadin noted that the board intends to review COVID-19 protocols and procedures twice weekly to ensure maximum efficiency and safety measures are in place.
“We are committed to making this process as safe and as efficient as humanly as possible. The CJIA board asks the travelling public to be patient with the systems and to co-operate with all directives by airport authorities for your safety and security…”, he said.
Airline operators are still to indicate to the GCAA their preparedness to resume commercial operations.
Director General of the GCAA Lt. Col. Egbert Field (ret’d) last week told Stabroek News that none of the five airlines operating out of the CJIA, Timehri has informed his agency of their readiness to resume commercial operations or presented a flight schedule.
Speaking from a technical standpoint, Field said he foresees airlines returning to operations within two weeks of the airports’ reopening. He explained that many factors and safety measures will have to be put in place by the airlines to ensure protocols are followed at all times. He also stated that the airlines will have to spend time to train crew members on new protocols and guidelines, which they have to abide by while in flight.
On March 17, the authorities here announced that the two major airports would be closed to incoming international flights from midnight of March 18 for a two-week period. As the cases kept climbing over the past months health officials advised the government to keep the airports closed. Special permission was granted to several airlines to operate repatriation flights in and out of Guyana during this period.
