6 cruise ship crew back home today

After weeks of calling on the government to allow TT nationals stranded on cruise ships to return after the closure of the country’s borders, the first six are expected to enter TT today.

A release from the Ministry of National Security stated that in addition to the initial six, 53 more are expected to arrive on Monday.

The release did not identify which vessel the nationals are to disembark from. On Friday, the Disney Fantasy was anchored near TT's border along the north coast.

The release said the government has been in talks with a number of cruise ship companies to arrange the return of TT nationals from various cruise ships in the Caribbean and elsewhere.

It said National Security Minister Stuart Young was in the process of discussing arrangements and the timing of entry for 430 nationals on cruise ships. On arrival they will be medically examined and quarantined by the state.

“The Government continues to carefully manage the return of our nationals in a manner designed to protect both those returning, as well as the population in TT.”

"We are going to permit the entry of our nationals on these various cruise ships by establishing a schedule which allows us to manage their return, consistent with our resources to protect them, and the population," a separate statement from the National Security Minister Stuart Young said on Friday.

Before the borders closed on midnight on March 22, 68 people from a cruise ship returned via a chartered flight from Guadeloupe and three others returned separately. Of that group of 71, a total of 52 of them were diagnosed with covid19.