by Linda Straker
- Alleviating or curbing the spread of Covid-19 is a national issue
- All arriving passengers will have a rapid test upon arrival
- MBIA opens 15 July; first flight from Trinidad scheduled to land shortly after midday
Opposition Leader, Tobias Clement, says that alleviating or curbing the spread of Covid-19 is a national issue in which every citizen must play a critical role.
“Even as we open up, we have an individual responsibility, we have a national responsibility, I say that everyone should adhere to the principles and to the protocol that are established. When you have to go out and you have to be in public spaces, please wear a mask, please practice social distancing and as much as possible, safe hygiene,” Clement said in a recent news conference.
“Some countries are opening up, but they are not opening up to everyone and everybody, but we have to take a page from the examples that are set from the science and restrict movement of people from places that are hot spots or epic centres of the coronavirus.” Clement reminded citizens that Grenada cannot operate in isolation from the rest of the world, but must be prepared to live and work with the reality that Covid-19 will be one of the public health pandemics that will become endemic throughout the world.
As of 22 March Grenada, announced its first Covid-19 case and to date health officials have confirmed that the island has recorded 23 laboratory-confirmed cases. All patients are now classified as recovered and the island recorded no Covid-19 related deaths.
Like other nations in the region and around the world, Grenada locked its external borders shortly after the first cases were confirmed as a means of controlling and containing the spread. However, after almost 3 months, the island’s lone international airport will be open for commercial passenger flight on 15 July.
The first flight will be a repatriation flight from Trinidad and Tobago which is scheduled to land shortly after midday.
Health and tourism officials have put Caricom states as low risk or Green zone; some wider Commonwealth and European countries as medium risk or Yellow zone; while the USA, Russia, Latin America and Portugal are classified as Red Zones or high risk.
Tourism Minister, Clarice Modeste, said that Grenada is insisting that passengers from the medium and high-risk regions must conduct PCR tests before arriving on the island. “However, all arriving passengers will have a rapid test upon arrival as part of our new health screening protocol,” she said.
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