The 35 elderly Trinidadians whose mandatory quarantine in Barbados ends today, are reporting no signs or symptoms of illness from the dreaded COVID-19 virus and are anxious to get Government clearance to leave.
The group, which was initially refused re-entry to their native Trinidad and Tobago which locked down the country to prevent the spread of the virus, was given a safe haven in Barbados.
However, at their own expense the Trinidadian nationals, who had been touring abroad, were immediately placed in mandatory quarantine for 14 days at the Sugar Cane Hotel and Spa in St Peter.
Leader of the group Phillip Ramdial told Barbados TODAY this afternoon that no one is sick.
“Our quarantine ends today. Our group shows no sign of the virus and is anxious to be tested as requested by our government,” Ramdial said via telephone from the hotel.
Asked when exactly the group leaves the island, the spokesman said no one knows.
Ramdial, whose wife Ann is in quarantine here as well, was also asked if he had heard from his government about arrangements to fly the senior citizens back home and what happens when they arrive.
“The process is to be tested here. The test kits were requested from Trinidad….not sure if they were sent,” he replied.
Phillip Ramdial and his wife Ann.
However, when contacted, the Barbados Government’s COVID-19 Czar Richard Carter told Barbados TODAY, public health officials here would not be testing any members of the group once they showed no signs of illness.
“There would be no need to test them here unless they are symptomatic. We would not be wasting tests on somebody who is showing no symptoms because that is not the way you go about conducting testing,” Carter said.
He also indicated that the Trinidadian nationals would then have to decide their next step, particularly with regards to transportation out of the island.
“They are not required to be in quarantine after they have gone through their period…once nobody has become sick. I know it was being discussed by the people who are managing it today. So they would be eligible to leave. But of course, it will all depend, if they want to go back to Trinidad, on the availability of transportation to take them there,” said the COVID-19 Czar.
Carter also made it clear that it would not be this Government’s responsibility to get the visitors back home in the same way this country did not shoulder the cost of their accommodation at the St Peter hotel.
“They were housed at their own expense. So their getting back to Trinidad would not be the Government of Barbados’ responsibility,” he added.
Another member of the quarantined group, Yvette McShine who also reported via telephone that all of them were well, could not say when they would be flying back home but noted that she was anxious to go.
“Well I hoping it is tomorrow because this is our 14th day…if you all say that we are supposed to be quarantined for 14 days and the minister say we will get the clearance that we can leave…I am hoping that we are leaving tomorrow,” she told Barbados TODAY.
As the 35 Trinidadian nationals eventually head back to Port of Spain, McShine will be leaving with a sweet taste in her mouth about Barbados.
“The stay was excellent…good accommodation, I mean you all have been very good to us. It is just the anxiety now that the end is here. Nobody is sick, everybody is good, so tomorrow we should get the clearance,” she said.
Late last month Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced during a news conference, that the nationals would be welcomed back into the country once the 14-day mandatory quarantine was completed here in Barbados.
His revelation came on the heels of a statement by National Security Minister Stuart Young that Port of Spain would close its airspace to all international flights until further notice and seaports would also be closed to both nationals and non-nationals.
The announcement came as the twin-island republic confirmed 49 cases of COVID-19 at the time, a massive jump from the nine reported in the 24 hours prior.
On Tuesday, March 24, Barbados became a safe haven for the CARICOM neighbours who had arrived at the Grantley Adams International Airport from London after being barred from entering their homeland when the Trinidadian authorities locked down its borders.
Addressing the matter as he appeared in a television interview on the state-owned Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that same evening, Attorney General Dale Marshall insisted Barbados had to take a humanitarian stance.
He noted that while Bridgetown has no legal responsibility to accept nationals but its own, it could not abandon the elderly group that had little to no options.
Marshall said: “The Government of Trinidad took the decision that they did not intend to accept them and we reached out to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago during the day to urge that they take their citizens but the fact of the matter is that they declined to do so.”
Efforts to reach the Trinidad National Security Minister proved unsuccessful.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb
