Two repatriation flights from Trinidad and Barbados yesterday brought home over 300 Guyanese nationals who were stranded abroad after borders were closed by governments to curb travel during the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Egbert Field last night told Stabroek News that the flights were facilitated by Caribbean Airlines and Eastern Airlines.

The Caribbean Airlines flight brought home 140 stranded Guyanese, both residents and students, from Barbados and Trini-dad, while the Eastern Airlines flight brought home the 180 stranded Royal Caribbean cruise line workers who were stuck onboard a ship which was docked off the coast of Barbados.

Before a flight is chartered, the GCAA must receive an approved list of names of persons who have tested negative for COVID-19 via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests.

The National COVID-19 Task Force has so far approved the controlled re-entry of approximately 300 Guyanese through the nation’s international airports providing that they follow a series of guidelines, including securing a negative COVID-19 test using PCR testing and a mandatory seven-day quarantine.