TT student praises quarantine staff

ELEVEN students who were stranded in Cuba, returned home on Monday night via a flight which landed at Piarco International Airport. One of the students, who requested anonymity, said their treatment by medical professionals at the UWI Debe campus quarantine facility has been “exceptional.”

Speaking to Newsday on Tuesday morning via phone interview, the student said their arrival went smoothly and the experience has been “amazing.”

“The staff is extremely professional and friendly. Second to none. All protocols are strictly observed (and) provisions were made for those coming in.” She also described the environment as homey and welcoming.

The student has been in Cuba since January and is grateful to the government of TT and Minister of National Security, Stuart Young for granting them this exemption to return home. “I feel elated. Nothing can compare to being back on home soil again. My navel string bury here,” she joked.

She said other TT nationals were also on the flight from Cuba and St Maarten. The connecting flight left Havana Monday afternoon and stopped in St Maarten before arriving in TT. She could not say how many additional passengers there were. On Monday, Young said the next cadre of people to return were 29 nationals from Cuba and 17 from St Maarten.

The students were given their first test on Tuesday morning and they will be tested again in 14 days. She said they are being strictly monitored and the team is observing all medical protocols.

She said not all the TT nationals in Cuba returned. “Some students had to stay because their schools did not permit the rescheduling of exams to accommodate the return home.”

She said her school expects the students to return on August 15, but they are “not too keen on that date.” She said although classes resume in September, the school expects them to return early to accommodate a two-week quarantine on their arrival back into the country.