Couple says protocol lapse has marred vacation plans

A Scottish family is hoping the Barbados Government will rethink at least one of its Coronavirus (COVID-19) border protocols that resulted in them spending at least half of their two-week vacation in quarantine.

Devon McDaid told Barbados TODAY that her husband Kevin and niece Carla Shaw had followed all of the protocols outlined by Government including presenting a verified negative Coronavirus (COVID-19) PCR test on arrival.

As a result, they were expecting to enjoy the £15,000 vacation they had been planning for more than a year. But excitement turned to disappointment when the party of three was informed that they had been sitting in the vicinity of an elderly man who tested positive for the dreaded virus after landing last Saturday on British Airways Flight 2155.

Since then they have been confined to their hotel rooms and asked to stay put for a week pending the results of a second round of testing.

“When we watched [Prime Minister] Mia [Mottley] on Twitter, she was very convincing and it appears that she has done everything that she could to safeguard travellers and her island. We thought that if we had the PCR, practiced good hand hygiene and had proper masks on the entire flight that we would really reduce our risk and I think we’ve just been unlucky,” said McDaid.

According to Government’s directives, persons sitting within four seats of an infected passenger are required to quarantine for seven days before being tested again for COVID-19.

To avoid such blunders in the future, the frustrated tourists believe the Government should mandate that negative COVID-19 tests be taken prior to arrival.

The couple has expressed tremendous concern about the lack of social distancing aboard the buses that transport visitors from the aircraft.

“I know that is never 100 per cent. People could pass the test and then get COVID-19 the next day, but the risk would be reduced if everyone had to be PCR tested, and we most likely wouldn’t be sitting in this situation,” the Glasgow native suggested.   

Carla, a first time visitor who sat within the stipulated proximity, was required to take a PCR test today and if negative, she would be allowed to continue the trip as normal. However, if Carla tests positive, she could end up in isolation much longer than their intended stay. According to her aunt, the thought of being isolated at a military facility is extremely unnerving especially for her parents in Glasgow.

“She’s mature and resilient, but she can’t go into an isolation facility in a foreign country by herself as an 18-year-old girl. Will she be taken [to Harrison’s Point]? Will I be allowed to go with her? Because, as far as I can see, there is no other option but for me to travel with her,” said the worried aunt.

Despite the uncertainty, the group is hopeful that the tests will come back negative on Saturday and they would be able to move their hired car that has been sitting outside the hotel over the last seven days.

“We wanted to go to the Animal Flower Cave, Welchman Hall Gully, Harrison’s Cave and we really like the west coast. So we wanted to take her to some of the beaches and the bars on the west coast,” lamented the Scottish tourist, who was planning to celebrate with some of her friends on the island.

During an extended interview, McDaid also expressed concern about the failure of British Airways crew members to enforce the airline’s protocols along with some measures taken by local officials on the ground that could result in the possible spread of COVID-19.

“Thirty minutes into the flight, people started taking their masks off… People were putting the face masks over their eyes and it was condoned. The crew had the masks on the wrong way and when I pointed that out to them, they thought that that was funny,” she pointed out.

“When we arrived, we were told by the cabin crew to stay seated and we would be allowed to disembark by row number and as soon as that announcement was made, everybody got their luggage and started making their way toward the front of the plane.

“It wasn’t by row, there was no distance and then we were taken off and put on a bus to drive us from the plane to the terminal which was about a 15-second bus ride. I have no idea why we were crowded onto a bus and touching handrails. I just thought that was really stupid,”McDaid added.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb