With the Government making the decision to have Trinidad and Tobago residents who are fully vaccinated have access to Guyana, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, had insisted that the country was not singled out when the decision was made.
The Government just last week made this travel restriction mandatory through its COVID-19 travel protocols in the Civil Aviation Act.
The order, which was gazetted on July 23, was signed by Edghill.
Since the decision was made there has been some level of condemnation from the public on the move. Some have called the move a direct singling out of T&T by imposing the said restriction.
Ministry Edghill however said that T&T remains a beloved nation in CARICOM and the move was not based on singling out one particular nation.
“There is absolutely no singling out. We are a proud part of the Caribbean Family. We were receiving people from Barbados,” Edghill insisted.
Minister Edghill said how the move stands as part of many traveling protocols that will be set in the time going ahead as the country continues to follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Caricom.
He said T&T being first on the list to have such restriction falls on the fact the country has made a motion to reopen.
“The only reason we have put out an order for Trinidadians is that Trinidad has just opened their borders. Theirs is a wider discussion that is taking place, as it related to CARICOM Travel that is coming out of the Caricom Heads of Government meeting.
“We want to ensure that there is inter-Caribbean travel and people don’t have to be unnecessarily quarantined when they arrived in another jurisdiction because you know someplace when you the negative PCR; you still have to go into quarantine, But if you are fully vaccinated; there is no requirement.”
Minister Edghill also added that as time goes by more countries will have the same travel restriction for their citizens.
As of today, there is no other restriction for any other national traveling to Guyana but Trinidad and Tobago, which at the moment has the highest number of vaccinated persons with over 500,000 vaccinated.
