33 test negative for covid19 in B’dos

THE 33 retirees who spent weeks in quarantine in Barbados and returned home to TT on Tuesday have all tested negative for covid19.

They were tested immediately before their departure to Trinidad from Christ Church, Barbados.

The results were provided to the Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram far more quickly than anticipated, said the attorney for the group, Prakash Ramadhar. When they arrived at Piarco, the group was transported via a PTSC bus to the National Racquet Centre, Tacarigua, escorted by police and soldiers. There they began an additional mandatory quarantine that will last at least two weeks.

The group is hoping for another quick round of testing, with negative results, and perhaps an early release.

Speaking with Newsday on Wednesday, Ramadhar said the group’s return and their subsequent negative test were welcome news.

He said people should use the court as a channel only after the other avenues have been exhausted.

In the case of the 33 who returned from Barbados, Ramadhar said they did everything they could to return in time.

The 33 left TT on a flight for Dubai on February 25 and set off on a cruise two days later in Dubai, where they were set to return.

However, the covid19 outbreak became a global problem and they were forced to dock in Cape Town, South Africa. They flew to the UK before arriving in Barbados on March 23. The border closed on midnight on March 22.

They were initially denied entry and remained in Barbados for nearly a month at their own expense.

Newsday contacted one of the travellers in quarantine in Tacarigua. He said, however, he and the others were not able to comment, but directed questions to Philip Ramdial, a passenger who has been speaking on behalf of the group. He, however, said he was unavailable for comment, up to press time.

Young has been quiet when sought for a response to particular groups of TT citizens who are stranded on cruise ships around the region, on which they started working long before the borders were closed.

On Wednesday, speaking at the government’s daily media briefing on covid19, Young gave a broader statement, saying, “We have no intention at this stage to allow our borders to become porous to allow persons free flow of access.” He said the group from Barbados was “in a very, very different category, even before they arrived in Barbados.”