By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
NEARLY 200 Bahamians stuck abroad amid the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to return to the country tomorrow, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday.
This came as government officials continued their silence in the face of questions over why some residents were allowed entry to the country during the lockdown and others were not.
Betsy Dingman, a Bahamian philanthropist and Lyford Cay resident, returned last week after being stuck in the United States for five weeks, according to Eyewitness News. Yet several other Bahamian residents stuck abroad have told The Tribune even though they secured charter flights to bring them home and were willing to be tested before entry, their attempts to return failed.
One woman, eager to be with family after her mother died at Doctors’ Hospital last month, said her mourning process was significantly affected after she was denied the chance to return despite securing a charter flight.
Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar, who has responsibility for aviation, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Officials have not said how many residents have been allowed entry to the country during the lockdown period.
Asked about this yesterday, Charles Beneby, director general of civil aviation, said: “I have no comment on the matter.”
Nonetheless, officials said yesterday repatriation exercises will be conducted in phases, with 190 Bahamians from New Providence and Grand Bahama expected to return to the country in the first phase.
In a statement released yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The ministry, through its embassies and consulates, has registered hundreds of Bahamians and residents outside the country globally. The majority are in South Florida.
“The immediate focus of the ministry was to organise the return of those in Florida, more specifically South Florida, West Palm Beach and Miami.”
According to the ministry, residents will be transported to the country via Bahamasair, which has agreed to adhere to strict protocols established by the Ministry of Health.
Upon arrival, officials said government facilities will be made available for quarantine.
“Though these persons would have been tested negative for COVID-19, protocols have been put in place to ensure that anti COVID-19 spreading measures are practiced while they proceed to their eventual destinations,” the statement continued.
“Plans are in place to execute the first phase of this strategy this Friday, 8 May, 2020.
“Bahamian citizens and residents outside New Providence should be reminded that repatriation exercises will be done in a phased and orderly manner, depending on registration data received from embassies and consulates abroad.”
The announcement comes amid controversy surrounding six permanent residents who landed in the country last week with COVID-19 testing supplies and were allowed to quarantine at home before being tested for the virus.
The episode sparked public outrage, with many condemning the government for giving “special privilege” to certain residents and allowing them entry in the country as hundreds of Bahamians remain stuck abroad.
In the wake of the controversy, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said returning Bahamians will now have the option to self-quarantine at home or in a government facility for a two-week period.
Dr Minnis had initially said all returning residents would have to be quarantined at the guarded facility. Last week, he said that some 200 Bahamians were seeking to return home.
However, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials have already said that number has increased exponentially.
In an effort to expedite the application process for those wanting to return home, officials noted that work is being done to launch a new webpage.
“Going forward the ministry will create a new web page on the current MOFA website that will support the online repatriation registration process,” officials said.
“… We expect this new online facility to be available soon.”
In the meantime, members of the public are urged to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website for important notes and updates regarding this ongoing exercise.
Comments
TalRussell 3 years, 11 months ago
Urgent that colony's beloved Queen, take immediate control to appoint a team English judges to a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the many government officials' involvement...made even. more so since it is now onto three different Chief's Royal Constabulary who despite a year passing - cannot seem to locate the whereabouts the gone missing OBAN file?
Nothing short aviation minister Dionisio James's ducking responsibility be reached for comment over an issue that cost a comrade colleague be ejected from the cabinet out onto the Churchill Square...but neither did the former minister colleague stand up lakes nothing to hide questions. from the media.
Talk about rowback that much 2017 campaigned on transparency. 'Twas but lies, lies and more lies! Nod once for yeah, Twice for no?
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 11 months ago
Can they say how many persons in tital are currently waiting to cone home?
Well_mudda_take_sic 3 years, 11 months ago
Well over 1,000 have now registered with the Bahamas Consulate in Miami, and many more are expected to register for 'free' repatriation now that the boarding they had paid for at their college or university in North America is coming to an end. Throughout North American there must be many thousands of Bahamians looking to return to home free of charge.
Well_mudda_take_sic 3 years, 11 months ago
Shockingly the Covid-19 Repatriation notice published on MOFA's official website states:
"The phased {repatriation} approach will ensure a seamless process that allows for adequate preparation such as COVID 19 testing before departure, unless otherwise approved to have the test administered upon arrival in The Bahamas."
Surely this cannot be! Why on earth would Minnis as Minister of Health, D'Aguilar as Minister of Aviation and/or Henfield as Minister of Foreign Affairs allow any passenger or crew member to board this first Bahamasair repatriation flight in the US without having been properly tested for Covid-19. There should be no one on that fully packed flight tomorrow who has not been tested within the three-day period immediately prior to the flight.
All of the passengers and crew members who will be tomorrow's fully packed Bahamasair repatriation flight deserve to know well in advance whether anyone travelling with them has received approval to have their Covid-19 test administered upon their arrival in The Bahamas rather than in the US.
Well_mudda_take_sic 3 years, 11 months ago
...
Bonefishpete 3 years, 11 months ago
So how many swabs they bringing
Clamshell 3 years, 11 months ago
🤣🤣🤣
Well_mudda_take_sic 3 years, 11 months ago
I really don't understand how our government can ignore the fact that there are various testing technologies out there for Covid-19 at the moment and not all of them are equally reliable. In fact the CDC is so concerned about the higher than usual level of false positive test results that they are still recommending a person be independently tested at least twice and preferably three times. But those Bahamians and residents of the Bahamas being repatriated back to the Bahamas at the taxpayers expense are being told they need only produce a single negative test result from anywhere they wish to have the test done. Knowing all that I know about this deadly virus I personally wouldn't get on tomorrow's fully packed Bahamasair flight back to the Bahamas under these circumstances.
TalRussell 3 years, 11 months ago
Ask who's footing the bills looking after the hundreds of comrades virus stranded abroad, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs to return them back the colony?
Would it shock you if it was more than idle street rumour how the colony's government has, and is still footing the lodging, food, medical and miscellaneous bills those government-employed stationed abroad, and the still Hurricane Dorian stranded abroad.....how about a million to four million dollars?
Also, there may be as many as a dozen Domes left sitting empty awaiting their approved occupants return to Abaco? Nod once for yeah, Twice for no?
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