A Holland-based Guyanese woman who had been stranded in Trinidad with her daughter since Saturday as she was not fully vaccinated has since tested positive for COVID which means she will have to remain in quarantine and will not be able to travel to Guyana for her father’s funeral.
This is according to the Trinidad Guardian. In a report last night, the Guardian said it contacted Trinidad National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds last evening, asking him to comment on the case.
Hinds said he did not have enough information about the issue and would reach out to Gravesande.
Several hours later, the Guardian said that Gravesande’s relatives, who live in Trinidad, said they received messages from her saying she was given clearance to go to Guyana after Hinds’ intervention.
However, a short while later, her relative said she was taken into quarantine as she was told her PCR test was positive.
Earlier in the day, Gravesande told Guardian Media she was travelling with her mother, her nephew and her daughter to Guyana for her father’s funeral, which is to be held tomorrow.
During her conversations with the officers at the hotel where she was staying, the Guardian said that Gravesande was told she would be allowed to travel to Guyana if she was granted an exemption from the Guyanese Health Ministry to enter the country.
“I received the letter today from the COVID task force of Guyana saying they will let me in the country with one dose of the vaccine but right now it’s not looking good, immigration does not want to cooperate so I don’t know. I’m here in the room with my daughter and this is it…” Gravesande said.
Although she was told she would be deported, Gravesande said she was holding out hope that something would change.
“The officers said they are coming for me at 5.45 pm… I spoke to someone from Guyana’s Foreign Ministry who said I was granted the exemption and all the details, including the flight to Guyana were already confirmed. I have one chance when I get to the airport to see if they will allow to go to Guyana or if they will really deport me.”
She said if she was not successful in getting to Guyana by Wednesday, she has already told her family to go ahead with her father’s funeral.
This plan would have been dashed by her testing positive based on her PCR result.
